New name for Fort Benning, other military bases approved by secretary of defense
Fort Benning is one step closer to becoming Fort Moore after Defense Secretary Lloyd J. Austin III approved the recommendations of an independent commission tasked with removing Confederate names from bases and other Department of Defense assets.
Austin said he agreed with the findings of the Naming Commission in a memo issued Thursday and directed senior military leaders to implement its recommendations. This includes the renaming of Fort Benning and eight other Army posts.
In May, the commission recommended Benning be renamed in honor of famed Vietnam commander Lt. Gen. Hal Moore and his wife, Julie. For more than a year, the Moore children campaigned to rename Benning on behalf of their parents. The goal was to honor the importance of the military family. The post is currently named for Confederate general Henry Benning.
“The installations and facilities that our Department operates are more than vital national security assets,” Austin wrote in the memo. “They are also powerful public symbols of our military, and of course, they are the places where our Service members and their families work and live. The names of these installations and facilities should inspire all those who call them home, fully reflect the history and the values of the United States, and commemorate the best of the republic that we are all sworn to protect.”
The Department of Defense will not begin part of the process until a 90-day waiting period expires on Dec. 18. The 2021 National Defense Authorization Act states Austin “shall implement” the plan submitted by the commission no later than Jan. 1, 2024.
“I am committed to implementing all of the Commission’s recommendations as soon as possible,” Austin said.
The other bases and their new names are:
Fort Gordon, Georgia becomes Fort Eisenhower
Fort Rucker, Alabama becomes Fort Novosel
- Fort Bragg, North Carolina becomes Fort Liberty
- Fort Hood, Texas becomes Fort Cavazos
- Fort A.P Hill, Virginia become Fort Walker
- Fort Lee, Virginia becomes Fort Gregg-Adams
- Fort Pickett, Virginia becomes Fort Barfoot
- Fort Polk, Louisiana becomes Fort Johnson
The commission estimates that it will cost roughly $62.5 million to rename more than 1,100 assets. The estimated cost to rename Fort Benning is nearly $5 million.
This story was originally published October 10, 2022 at 2:27 PM.