Pentagon to revive Fort Liberty’s identify to Fort Bragg
The Pentagon is altering the identify of the army base Fort Liberty again to Fort Bragg, reversing a call made by a congressionally mandated fee to rename bases that honor Accomplice generals.
The Military base will likely be renamed Fort Bragg, however it is going to honor a special Bragg than its authentic namesake, Gen. Braxton Bragg, who fought for the Confederacy. As a substitute, it is going to honor Non-public First Class Roland L. Bragg, who was awarded a Silver Star for actions throughout the Battle of the Bulge in World Conflict II, based on a memo signed by Protection Secretary Pete Hegseth.
“This resolution displays the set up’s proud historical past of honoring selfless service and sacrifice in protection of the nation,” Pentagon Press Secretary John Ullyot mentioned in an announcement.
NBC Information was first to report the Protection Division was contemplating this feature.
Roland L. Bragg was one of many names beforehand thought of for the bottom’s identify change, however finally, officers determined to call it Fort Liberty, as an alternative of naming the bottom after any single particular person.
On the marketing campaign path, President Trump criticized the renaming. At an October rally in Fayetteville, North Carolina — close to the place the army set up is positioned — Mr. Trump mentioned, “We did win two world wars from Fort Bragg, proper?” and promised, “We’re gonna get it again. We’re gonna convey our nation again.”
Earlier than he turned protection secretary, Pete Hegseth mentioned the bottom ought to by no means have been renamed. Whereas selling his e-book “Conflict on Warriors,” Hegseth mentioned, “We must always change it again, as a result of legacy issues. My uncle served at Bragg. I served at Bragg. It breaks a generational hyperlink.”
When he entered the Pentagon for the primary time, he referred to Fort Liberty and Fort Moore by their former names, Fort Bragg and Fort Benning.
Fort Bragg and Fort Benning had been two of 9 bases that the Naming Fee, a fee mandated by Congress to rename bases honoring Confederates, for which new names had been advised.
Again-to-back annual protection authorization payments first banned the army service branches from naming installations after Confederates after which created the Naming Fee. In 2020, Mr. Trump vetoed the protection invoice, partly due to the base-renaming provision, however the Home and Senate overrode his veto. The service branches, just like the Military, nonetheless have the authority to rename bases so long as they are not named for Confederates.
The bottom is house to the Military’s Particular Operations and Airborne forces, together with the 82nd Airborne Division, which is usually thought of the tip of the spear by the U.S. army as a result of it might probably quickly deploy inside 18 hours of notification.
Fort Bragg formally turned Fort Liberty throughout a ceremony in June 2023.
The Naming Fee estimated that altering the identify of Fort Bragg to Fort Liberty would initially value over $6 million, based on the fee’s report. It isn’t clear how a lot it is going to value to alter the identify again to Fort Bragg.
Hegseth’s memo directs the Military to tell the Below Secretary of Protection for Acquisition and Sustainment of the timeline and crucial assets for the implementation of the change.
