Overview
- The department’s legal name remains the Department of Defense because only Congress can enact a formal change.
- CBO warned a statutory rename could run into the hundreds of millions of dollars depending on how it is executed.
- The budget office said costs hinge on scope and speed, noting DoD has not provided a comprehensive implementation plan.
- An internal report cited by CBO showed about $1.9 million spent over 30 days by five organizations on items such as flags, plaques, identification badges and training materials.
- Visible steps already include shifting the website to war.gov, updating social media handles and replacing some signage, and the estimate was requested by Senate Democrats led by Jeff Merkley and Chuck Schumer.