Renaming US defense department the Department of War could cost $125m

"Renaming the Department of Defense the Department of War could cost US taxpayers as much as $125m depending on how broadly and quickly the change is made, according to an analysis released Wednesday from the Congressional Budget Office. Donald Trump signed an executive order in September that authorized the Department of War as a secondary title for the Pentagon. At the time, Trump said the switch was intended to signal to the world that the US was a force to be reckoned with,"

"Pete Hegseth, the US defense secretary, embraced the rebrand and proceeded to use it immediately on several signs after Trump's order. He had employees remove the large gold letters that spelled Secretary of Defense outside his office and replaced the sign on his door to read Secretary of War. The Pentagon's website also went from defense.gov to war.gov the same day the executive order was signed."

"Pentagon officials said then that they could not offer a cost estimate for the name change because they expected costs to fluctuate. They promised a clearer estimate later. The new report from the Congressional Budget Office says costs would be at least a few million dollars if the name change was phased in with minimal implementation, but could reach $125m if it was implemented broadly and rapidly throughout the department."

The Congressional Budget Office estimates that renaming the Department of Defense to the Department of War could cost US taxpayers anywhere from a few million dollars up to $125 million depending on how broadly and rapidly the change is implemented. An executive order authorized Department of War as a secondary Pentagon title, leading the defense secretary to change office signage and the Pentagon website to war.gov. Pentagon officials initially could not provide a cost estimate, promising a later figure. Congress must formally approve a name change but has shown no serious interest in doing so.

Read at www.theguardian.com