Changing Name to Department of War, US to Spend Rp830 Billion
The Pentagon has submitted a legislative proposal to the United States Congress to approve a name change to the “Department of War”, a symbolic step seen as reaffirming the nation’s military mission.
In its legislative proposal, the Pentagon states that the name change process is estimated to cost nearly 52 million US dollars (Rp830 billion) and will not have a significant impact on President Donald Trump’s defence budget request for fiscal year 2027. The Department of Defense indicates that this cost estimate is preliminary.
“The actual costs are being collected during implementation and will be available after the name change implementation in the fiscal year is complete,” the official statement reads, as reported by several American news outlets.
The budget breakdown shows that approximately 3.5 million US dollars is allocated for military departments, 3 million US dollars for Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth’s office and the Washington Headquarters Services, and 400,000 US dollars for the Joint Staff and related commands.
Meanwhile, the largest portion, around 44.6 million US dollars, will be used for the Defence Agencies and various field activities. In the 92-page document, defence officials emphasise that the name change has strategic significance.
“This revision to the Department’s name serves as a fundamental reminder of the importance of and respect for our core mission: to fight and win wars,” they write.
The proposal will have broad administrative impacts, including approximately 7,600 changes to federal laws. Additionally, the position of Secretary of Defense will be changed to Secretary of War, along with adjustments to other nomenclature. This step is described as a follow-up to the executive order issued by Trump last September.
Nevertheless, the Pentagon’s cost estimate is lower than the previous calculation by the Congressional Budget Office, which estimated total spending could reach 125 million US dollars, depending on the scale of implementation. The bill to approve the name change has been submitted by Greg Steube in the House of Representatives and Mike Lee in the Senate.
As part of the initial implementation, the Pentagon has reportedly begun updating its official website and social media accounts to reflect the new name. Even the signage at the Secretary of Defense’s office has been updated to “Secretary of War”.