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yesterday

Senate Panel Advances Renaming of Department of Defense to Department of War

Placing the change in the fiscal 2027 NDAA raises the chance Congress will consider it because the bill routinely becomes law after House‑Senate reconciliation.

Image
In this image released by the Department of Defense, a North American Aerospace Defense Command F-16 Fighting Falcon fighter aircraft, foreground, escorts a Russian Su-35 fighter, center, and Tu-95 Bear bomber through the Alaskan Air Defense Identification Zone over the Bering Sea Sept. 24, 2025.

Overview

  • The Senate Armed Services Committee voted to advance the amendment in an 18–9 split on Thursday, moving the proposal closer to inclusion in the final fiscal 2027 NDAA.
  • The House Armed Services Committee already approved a similar provision, and the change follows a 2025 executive order that let the Pentagon use the 'Department of War' label while the department formally requested statutory authorization earlier this year.
  • A Congressional Budget Office estimate from January put implementation costs between about $10 million and $125 million and said thousands of federal legal references would need updates.
  • Supporters including Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth argue the name would signal U.S. resolve, while Democrats such as Sen. Tim Kaine and Sen. Jeff Merkley call the move unnecessary and a misuse of resources.
  • The proposal still must survive full House and Senate floor votes and a House‑Senate reconciliation process before becoming law, so its ultimate fate and the timing of any implementation remain uncertain.