Pentagon officials warn Trump’s “Department of War” rebrand could cost billions

Pentagon officials are facing a complex and costly task following President Donald Trump’s executive order to rename the Department of Defense as the Department of War.

Many officials expressed frustration, anger, and confusion over the plan, which could cost billions and is unlikely to address pressing military challenges, such as countering authoritarian powers, Politico writes. 

The order could require changing Defense Department seals at more than 700,000 facilities across 40 countries and all 50 US states, including letterhead, uniforms, keychains, and other items.

“This is purely for domestic political audiences,” said a former defense official. “Not only will this cost millions of dollars, it will have absolutely zero impact on Chinese or Russian calculations. Worse, it will be used by our enemies to portray the United States as warmongering and a threat to international stability.”

Trump announced the move at an Oval Office press conference on September 5, citing historical precedent.

“We won World War I, we won World War II, we won everything before that and in between, and then we decided to go woke, and we changed the name to DOD. So, we’re going Department of War.”

A formal name change would likely require congressional approval, although the White House is reportedly exploring ways to bypass a vote. The executive order authorizes Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to refer to himself as “Secretary of War” in official communications and to recommend actions to ensure the name change is implemented.

“I see there being a million small headaches and annoyances if this actually happens,” said a defense official. “It’ll eat up time and effort.”

Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) criticized the plan, saying: “If we call it the Dept. of War, we’d better equip the military to actually prevent and win wars. Can’t preserve American primacy if we’re unwilling to spend substantially more on our military than Carter or Biden. ‘Peace through strength’ requires investment, not just rebranding.”

Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.) also raised concerns, calling the decision a distraction: “For the president and the secretary of Defense to spend time and energy [on a] distraction from what we need to do — to focus on the readiness of our troops who are serving — [is] nothing more than an effort to distract from other issues that are going on in the country.”

Hegseth defended the move, saying it will “set the tone for the country.” The Pentagon has already begun implementing the rebrand, including redirecting defense.gov to war.gov and updating social media accounts, though inconsistencies remain.

Officials warned that the change could create long-term challenges for universities, nonprofits, and contractors that rely on the Defense Department, requiring extensive updates to marketing, contracting, and other materials.

By Sabina Mammadli