The congressional commission tasked with removing Confederate-related names from military bases is set to review more than 750 items for possible renamings or removals.
The Naming Commission, created by Congress in 2021 to eliminate references to the Confederacy in military assets nationwide, will review items such as military bases, bridges, paintings, monuments, and streets, among other things. After reviewing each item on its list, the commission will draft a report detailing its recommendations for removal along with a cost estimate.
“We will update the inventory list in collaboration with the Department of Defense, including its sub-agencies and the military branches, as we continue to identify assets within our area of consideration,” said retired Adm. Michelle Howard, chairwoman of the Naming Commission, in a press release. “This work is vital to understand the scope and estimated cost of renaming or removing Confederate-named assets and will enable us to provide the most accurate report possible to Congress.”
The commission was created last year to rename nine military bases and sites associated with the Confederacy, including Fort Lee, Fort Hood, Fort Benning, Fort Gordon, Fort Bragg, Fort Polk, Fort Pickett, Fort A.P. Hill, and Fort Rucker. However, its updated list went beyond those bases and considered more bases across the country, as well as two items located at a U.S. naval base in Japan.
The commission was created despite stark opposition from former President Donald Trump, who refused to rename military bases while he was in office, even as the move garnered the support of some rank-and-file Republicans. Even amid social justice protests in June 2020, Trump noted his administration would not “even consider the renaming of these Magnificent and Fabled Military Installations.” Trump railed against similar efforts to remove monuments to Confederate heroes, including Gen. Robert E. Lee.
The final report is due to Congress on Oct. 1, and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin will have a final say on which items are renamed or removed.
