These U.S. Army bases are being renamed to their Confederate names. Which forts are affected?
President Donald Trump is getting rid of Biden-era policies that changed the names of United States Army bases in 2021. The forts were renamed to wipe away the names of Confederate leaders who fought to keep slavery legal during the Civil War.
Now, U.S. military bases will once again carry the legacies of Confederate leaders like Robert E. Lee and George Edward Pickett.
The president announced the changes while visiting Fort Bragg in North Carolina on June 10 as part of the U.S. Army's 250th birthday celebrations.
"We are also going to be restoring the names to Fort Pickett, Fort Hood, Fort Gordon, Fort Rucker, Fort Polk, Fort A.P. Hill and Fort Robert E. Lee. We won a lot of battles out of those forts — it's no time to change," Trump said. "And I'm superstitious, you know, I like to keep it going right."
However, the Army cannot reinstate the bases' former names without Congressional approval. Instead, the Army will rename the bases after different soldiers from later wars who share a surname with the once-honored Confederates, according to an Army news release.
Trump announced on Tuesday, June 10, that seven additional Army bases would receive new names. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth also already changed the names of two forts earlier in 2025.
Altogether, nine bases are impacted.
Two Army bases, Fort Bragg (formerly Fort Liberty) and Fort Benning (formerly Fort Moore), have already undergone name changes in 2025. Hegseth made those name swaps official in February and March of 2025, according to Department of Defense news releases.
These are the forts that will revert to their original names, but honor the different U.S. soldiers, according to the Army news release.
Fort Pickett (formerly Fort Barfoot) will be named in honor of Distinguished Service Cross recipient 1st Lt. Vernon W. Pickett, World War II. The fort was originally named after George Edward Pickett.
Fort Hood (formerly Fort Cavazos) will be named in honor of Distinguished Service Cross recipient Col. Robert B. Hood, World War I. The fort was originally named after John Bell Hood.
Fort Gordon (formerly Fort Eisenhower) will be named in honor of Medal of Honor recipient Master Sgt. Gary I. Gordon, Battle of Mogadishu. The fort was originally named after John Brown Gordon.
Fort Lee (formerly Fort Gregg-Adams) will be named in honor of Medal of Honor recipient Pvt. Fitz Lee, Spanish-American War. The fort was originally named after Robert E. Lee
Fort Polk (formerly Fort Johnson) will be named in honor of Silver Star recipient Gen. James H. Polk, World War II. The fort was originally named after Leonidas Polk.
Fort Rucker (formerly Fort Novosel) will be named in honor of Distinguished Service Cross recipient Capt. Edward W. Rucker, World War I. The fort was originally named after Edmund Rucker.
Fort A.P. Hill (formerly Fort Walker) will be named in honor of Medal of Honor recipients Lt. Col. Edward Hill, 1st Sgt. Robert A. Pinn and Pvt. Bruce Anderson, Civil War. The fort was originally named after Ambrose Powell Hill.
The Army bases displaying names of Confederate leaders have been a highly contested topic in recent years. There have been long and complicated discussions about the existing memorials to Confederate soldiers and buildings that bear the names of Confederate leaders in the Civil War.
Since George Floyd died in police custody in 2020, there have been calls to topple such symbols of a White supremacist past.
In 2021, Congress passed a law that banned naming military assets after anyone who voluntarily served or held leadership in the Confederacy.
The seven forts, now again in the hot seat, were first renamed in 2023 by former president Joe Biden. All names chosen in 2023 were to honor top leaders, such as President Dwight D. Eisenhower, as well as Black soldiers and women.
No. The forts are all located in the South, however.
The impacted bases are in Virginia, Texas, Georgia, Louisiana, North Carolina and Alabama.
USA TODAY contributed to this report.
This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Why Trump is renaming these army bases to reinstate Confederate names
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