Pentagon urges Congress to codify 'Department of War' name change it estimates will cost $52 million

By Fox News · Fox News

The Pentagon has formally asked for congressional approval to codify its "Department of War" moniker, estimating it will cost taxpayers around $52 million. The estimate from the Pentagon is significantly lower than what the Congressional Budget Office projected in January, when it estimated the rebranding could cost as much as $125 million if it were adopted "broadly and rapidly" throughout the department. The Pentagon claimed the change, which includes renaming the Secretary of Defense to the Secretary of War, would have no "significant impact" on President Donald Trump’s fiscal 2027 defense budget request because most implementation costs will be absorbed during the current 2026 fiscal year. The "actual costs are being collected during implementation and will be available" once the current fiscal year’s execution of the name change is completed, according to the department. HAWLEY, WARREN TEAM UP TO BACK UP TRUMP, CRACK DOWN ON DEFENSE CONTRACTOR PAYOUTS In its legislative proposal, the Pentagon said roughly $52 million is expected to be used, including $44.6 million for the Defense Agencies and the department’s field activities, $3.5 million for the military departments, $3 million for Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth's office and Washington Headquarters Services, $400,000 for the Joint Staff, Combatant Commands and National Guard Bureau. "The revision to the designation of the Department serves as a fundamental reminder of the importance and reverence of our core mission, to fight and win wars," the proposal reads. "It serves as a strategic objective in which to measure and prioritize all activities." The request to rebrand the department would make around 7,600 changes to federal law. The Pentagon has already changed its website and social media accounts to reflect the rebranding, and Hegseth’s nameplate on his office door already reads, "Secretary of War." NEW ARMY SECRETARY PRAISES TRUMP, HEGSETH FOR CREATING 'A LANE FOR CHANGE' AS HE ZEROES IN ON CUTTING WASTE T…