Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has greenlighted the renaming of nine U.S. Army bases and other Department of Defense assets that honor and commemorate the Confederacy and Confederate traitors to the Union.
"The installations and facilities that our Department operates are more than vital national security assets,” he wrote in a memo dated Oct. 6. “They are also powerful public symbols of our military, and of course, they are the places where our Service members and their families work and live."
The eight-member U.S. Naming Commission is chaired by retired Navy Adm. Michelle Howard and was created by Congress in Jan. 2021 in response to a national furor over Confederate monuments and memorials.
"The names of these installations and facilities should inspire all those who call them, fully reflect the history and the values of the United States, and commemorate the best of the republic that we are all sworn to protect,” Austin wrote.
The DoD will begin renaming the assets on Dec. 18. According to published reports, the move is expected to cost $62.5 million.
Nine Army posts will receive new names. Fort Benning will become Fort Moore; Fort Polk will be renamed Fort Johnson; Fort Bragg’s new name will be Fort Liberty; Fort Gordon will become Fort Eisenhower; Fort Hood will be Fort Cavazos; Fort Lee will become Fort Gregg-Adams; Fort Pickett will become Fort Barfoot, and Fort Rucker will be renamed to Fort Novosel.
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"The Commission has chosen names that echo with honor, patriotism, and history – names that will inspire generations of Service members to defend our democracy and our Constitution," Austin said.
Navy Secretary Carlos Del Torro will decide on new names for the USS Chancellorsville and USNS Maury.
Reach Julia LeDoux at Julia@connectingvets.com.
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