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Pentagon hangs 27-kg plaques with agency’s updated name

According to the department’s statement, US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, who personally fastened the last screw on one of the plaques, said that the new name reflects a new ethos for the department

WASHINGTON, November 14. /TASS/. Pentagon personnel took down outdated bronze plaques that had hung on the building for over 70 years, and replaced them to bear the revised name of the federal agency, Department of War.

According to the department’s statement, US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, who personally fastened the last screw on one of the plaques, said that the new name reflects a new ethos for the department. Each plaque is roughly 75 to 50 cm and weighs 27 kg.

As NBC News reported earlier, the costs of the agency’s name change could reach $2 billion. The initiative will require the replacement of thousands of plaques, emblems and forms, as well as any other items that feature the department's name. According to NBC News, replacing the forms and plaques alone can cost roughly $1 billion.

In early September, US President Donald Trump signed an executive order to rebrand the Department of Defense as the Department of War. He said that the new name was more appropriate given the current global situation. The US Department of War existed from 1789 to 1947 when it was transformed into the National Military Establishment. In 1949, it was renamed the Department of Defense.