The Department of Defense is looking to Congress to finalize its Department of War rename.
An April legislative proposal from the department says that what remains of its rebrand would have “no significant impact” on the fiscal 2027 budget. But the Congressional Budget Office estimated in January that renaming the DOD could top $116 million, as roughly $50 million has already been spent to implement the change.
Almost 7,600 changes to federal law would be made to change “defense” to “war” in numerous titles, from the secretary of defense to a vast array of acronyms.
The justification given is that the redesignation serves as “a fundamental reminder of the importance and reverence of our core mission, to fight and win wars,” and acts as “a strategic objective in which to measure and prioritize all activities.”
The proposal notes that this is not starting from scratch; it’s codifying changes already set in motion, following President Trump’s September executive order and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s October guidance to transition signage, letterhead and other material.
Mr. Trump’s order does not override existing law. Instead, it authorizes a secondary title that may be used in nonstatutory communications. Only Congress can amend or replace statutory titles, meaning the proposal is essentially the legislative follow-through.
The Department of War name traces back to 1789, when Congress created it through the Act to Establish an Executive Department.
After World War II, Congress consolidated the armed services through the National Security Act of 1947, effectively abolishing the War Department.
The name Department of Defense has been in use since 1949, reportedly because the interim name National Military Establishment was pronounced like “enemy.”
