The Department of Defense will begin renaming bases and military assets that honor or commemorate the Confederate States of America in accordance with the recommendations set by the Commission on the Naming of Items of the DOD in its final report.
Among the recommendations outlined in the three-part report is the renaming of nine U.S. Army installations to recognize a more diverse set of American heroes who showed exemplary courage and patriotism, the Pentagon said Thursday.
The first part of the report recommended that DOD rename Fort A.P. Hill in Virginia to Fort Walker, Fort Bragg in North Carolina to Fort Liberty, Fort Hood in Texas to Fort Cavazos and Fort Gordon in Georgia to Fort Eisenhower.
Additionally, it put proposed Fort Lee in Virginia be changed to Fort Gregg-Adams, Fort Pickett in Virginia to Fort Barfoot, Fort Polk in Louisiana to Fort Johnson and Fort Rucker in Alabama to Fort Novosel.
Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, a 2022 Wash100 awardee, concurred with the renaming recommendations in October 2022.
William LaPlante, undersecretary of defense for acquisition and sustainment and a fellow Wash100 winner, directed all DOD organizations to complete implementation of the commission’s recommendations by January 2024.