$2 billion name change

 

Prime number: $2 billion name change

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People who’ve changed their last name after getting married know that it can be a painstaking process with a lot of paperwork. But at least it doesn’t cost more than the GDP of the Solomon Islands. President Trump’s directive to change the name of the Department of Defense to the Department of War will cost up to $2 billion, NBC News reported, citing senior congressional staffers. The change is a lot more complicated than the average rebrand: Thousands of signs, placards, letterheads, and other items at US military bases around the world need to be replaced. All of the department’s digital code—including for external sites and internal, classified systems—must be rewritten. The move comes as Trump has pushed to cut back federal spending and Secretary of Defense War Pete Hegseth has said he plans to cut thousands of jobs at the Pentagon. The Trump administration has already changed the department’s website and social media to reflect the new name, but it won’t become official until Congress approves it.—AE