Pentagon’s Department of War Name Change Will Cost $50 Million

A Department of War logo inside the Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia.

Photographer: Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP/Getty Images

The Pentagon has formally asked to change its legal name from the Department of Defense to the Department of War, a move the agency estimates will cost more than $50 million.

The Pentagon’s Office of General Counsel posted its proposal to change the law to rename the department, even though the new name has been deployed since Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth issued guidance following President Donald Trump’s September executive order.