WASHINGTON, DC—This week, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth signed a memorandum to rename U.S. Army base Fort Liberty to Fort Bragg. The base, originally named ‘Bragg’ after Confederate General Braxton Bragg, was first renamed to ‘Liberty’ after Congress passed a 2019 law—overriding then-President Trump’s veto—to prohibit the Department of Defense from naming installations after Confederate leaders.

In response to Hegseth’s order, U.S. Senator Jack Reed (D-RI), the Ranking Member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, issued the following statement:

“I oppose Secretary Hegseth’s cynical maneuver.

“On a bipartisan basis, Congress passed a law to prohibit the Department of Defense from naming any installations after Confederate leaders. The bipartisan ‘Naming Commission’ removed the name of Confederate General Braxton Bragg and, at the request of Gold Star families, established ‘Fort Liberty’ to honor our fallen military men and women.

“By instead invoking the name of World War II soldier Private Roland Bragg, Secretary Hegseth has not violated the letter of the law, but he has violated its spirit. Worse, he has insulted the Gold Star families who proudly supported Fort Liberty’s name, and he has dishonored himself by associating Private Bragg’s good name with a Confederate traitor.

“This is typical of the Trump Administration’s obsession with fighting culture wars instead of actually supporting our warfighters and their families.

“This order disregards the law and disrespects our servicemembers. Secretary Hegseth must immediately rescind it.”

Background

In the FY 2020 and FY 2021 National Defense Authorization Acts, respectively, Congress prohibited the Department of Defense from naming any assets after Confederate leaders or victories, and directed the establishment of a Naming Commission to identify assets with Confederate names and to recommend new names for such assets. The bipartisan Naming Commission produced a report in 2022 recommending the renaming of nine U.S. Army bases, including then-Fort Bragg, all of which were approved and completed in 2023.

The relevant legislative language is detailed below.

FY 2020 National Defense Authorization Act

SEC. 1749. Prohibition on Names Related to the Confederacy.

(a) Prohibition on Names Related to the Confederacy.— In naming a new asset or renaming an existing asset, the Secretary of Defense or the Secretary of a military department may not give a name to an asset that refers to, or includes a term referring to, the Confederate States of America (commonly referred to as the ‘‘Confederacy’’), including any name referring to— (1) a person who served or held leadership within the Confederacy; or (2) a Confederate battlefield victory.

(b) Asset Defined.—In this section, the term ‘‘asset’’ includes any base, installation, facility, aircraft, ship, equipment, or any other property owned or controlled by the Department of Defense or a military department.

Read the full legislative text.

FY 2021 National Defense Authorization Act

SEC. 370. Commission on the Naming of Items of the Department of Defense That Commemorate the Confederate States of America or Any Person Who Served Voluntarily With the Confederate States of America.

Under the law, the Commission shall:

        (1) assess the cost of renaming or removing names, symbols, displays, monuments, or paraphernalia that commemorate the Confederate States of America or any person who served voluntarily with the Confederate States of America;

        (2) develop procedures and criteria to assess whether an existing name, symbol, monument, display, or paraphernalia commemorates the Confederate States of America or person who served voluntarily with the Confederate States of America;

        (3) recommend procedures for renaming assets of the Department of Defense to prevent commemoration of the Confederate States of America or any person who served voluntarily with the Confederate States of America;

        (4) develop a plan to remove names, symbols, displays, monuments, or paraphernalia that commemorate the Confederate States of America or any person who served voluntarily with the Confederate States of America from assets of the Department of Defense, within the timeline established by this Act; and

        (5) include in the plan procedures and criteria for collecting and incorporating local sensitivities associated with naming or renaming of assets of the Department of Defense.

Read the full legislative text.