According to Politico, the renaming of the U. S. Department of Defense to the Department of War, approved and signed by President Donald Trump on September 5, could cost the U.S. budget billions of dollars. The matter concerns only cosmetic changes, such as replacing signs, plaques, letterheads, seals, and similar items.

Politico reported that many Pentagon employees have already expressed disappointment, confusion, and even anger over Trump’s sudden decision. They believe the presidential order will burden American taxpayers with billions in expenses while doing nothing to address the real problems of the U.S. military and its combat readiness. One former Pentagon official told the paper that the move was aimed purely at a domestic political audience, would cost millions, and would have no effect on the calculations of China or Russia. Worse, he warned, U.S. adversaries could exploit the change to portray Washington as a warmonger and a threat to global stability.

The outlet estimated that this cosmetic rebranding would have to be carried out across more than 700,000 facilities in the United States and in forty other countries worldwide. It would include not only changes to the official stationery of the six branches of the U.S. military and Pentagon agencies, but also replacing embossed napkins in dining facilities, embroidered logos on jackets, unit patches, seals, office nameplates, keychains, and other souvenirs.

Politico added that a formal renaming of the Pentagon would most likely require the passage of a bill by Congress. For this reason, the Trump administration is expected to look for ways to implement the initiative without going through lawmakers.