Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth moved to restore Fort Bragg’s name, reversing its renaming to Fort Liberty under the administration of former President Joe Biden. But there’s a catch.
Newsweek reached out to the Department of Defense on Monday night via email for comment.
Why It Matters
North Carolina’s Fort Bragg is the largest military base in the United States, employing over 50,000 military personnel and housing over 60,000 active-duty family members. The base also houses civilian employees.
The name of the base came under scrutiny after George Floyd’s murder and ensuing Black Lives Matter protests across the country, further escalating the culture wars between Democrats and Republicans.
Fort Bragg was originally named after Confederate General Braxton Bragg, a North Carolina native. Before the 2024 presidential election, President Donald Trump vowed to reinstate the base’s name, which changed to Fort Liberty in 2023 under Biden’s Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin.
What To Know
In posts to X, formerly Twitter, on Monday, Hegseth said, “There it is! Pursuant to the authority of the Secretary of Defense, title 10 United States Code section 113, I direct the Army to change the name of Fort Liberty, North Carolina to Fort Bragg, North Carolina. That’s right, Bragg is back.”
Hegseth then posted a picture of the memorandum noting that the name change is to honor Private First Class Roland L. Bragg—a different Bragg—who served in the Army “with great distinction” during WWII. Bragg was born in 1923 in Maine, then later stationed at Fort Bragg.
The memorandum notes the base’s name restoration “honors the personal courage and selfless service of all those who have trained to fight and win our nation’s wars, including Pfc. Bragg, and is in keeping with the installation’s esteemed and storied history.”
Bragg is back! I just signed a memorandum reversing the naming of Fort Liberty back to Fort Bragg. pic.twitter.com/EGgZNHK72x
— Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth (@SecDef) February 11, 2025
What People Are Saying
Hegseth posted to X on Monday: “Fort Bragg is back.”
Venture capitalist Paul Graham, to X on Monday: “Renaming in general is lame. It was lame of the Democrats to try to rename Fort Bragg. It’s lame of the Republicans to try to rename the Gulf of Mexico.”
Pentagon reporter Konstantin Toropin, to X on Monday: “Again…’back to Fort Bragg’ really strongly implies that the intent here is to have the base named after a Confederate general and not the WWII soldier that is ostensibly being honored.”
Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose, a Republican, to X on Monday: “For those of us who served there, it will forever be Fort Bragg. Well done!”
What Happens Next
The memorandum notes that the Army will now inform the undersecretary of defense for acquisition and sustainment of a timeline for implementation.
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