New bill would change Fort Benning’s name back to Fort Moore, if Congress passes it
Legislators may swiftly reverse a decision made by U.S. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth regarding Fort Benning’s name.
Buried in a 688-page defense bill the U.S. House of Representatives passed this month is a provision to rename Fort Benning back to Fort Moore.
On Page 460 of the House version for the National Defense Authorization Act (H.R. 3838) is Section 2834, which would “rename a Department of the Army military installation located in Muscogee County and Chattahoochee County, Georgia as Fort Moore.”
Such a name change isn’t in the U.S. Senate version of the bill (S.R. 2296). So it’s unclear whether the renaming will end up in the negotiated final version of the bill.
Background about name change of Fort Benning and Fort Moore
Hegseth ordered the U.S. to revert the base’s name back to Fort Benning in March this year. The installation was originally named Fort Benning for a Confederate military member, and was changed to Fort Moore in 2023 to honor U.S. Army Lt. Gen. Hal Moore and his wife, Julia.
In the most recent renaming, Hegseth named it Fort Benning in honor of U.S. Army Cpl. Fred G. Benning, who was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross for his “extraordinary heroism in action during World War I with the U.S. Army in France in 1918,” the Department of War said in a news release at the time.
Opinion of Hegseth and Columbus area congressmen
The Ledger-Enquirer asked the Department of War for Hegseth’s reaction to this provision in the House bill and his opnion about whether Fort Benning should be renamed back to Fort Moore.
“Past administrations have tried to rename bases that should have never been changed in the first place,” Pentagon press secretary Kingsley Wilson said in an email Friday to the L-E. “Here at the Pentagon, we honor our American history and traditions, we don’t erase it. We learn from our triumphs and our pains which makes our country stronger.”
Wilson didn’t share Hegseth’s opinion about whether Fort Benning should be renamed back to Fort Moore. So the L-E asked again, and acting deputy press secretary Joel Valdez said in an email, “We have nothing additional to provide.”
The two House members representing the Columbus area, 2nd Congressional District Rep. Sanford Bishop (D-GA) and 3rd Congressional District Rep. Brian Jack (R-GA) voted differently on the bill: Bishop voted no; Jack voted yes.
The L-E asked spokespersons for Bishop and Jack to explain their votes.
In an email Friday to the L-E from Jack’s district director, Joseph Brannan, Jack said, “I proudly voted for the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2026 (NDAA), which authorizes and equips our brave soldiers to defend our nation under the leadership of President Trump, our Commander-in-Chief. “The Senate has introduced its own version of the NDAA. Once the Senate approves its legislation, the House and Senate will work together to reconcile any differences and deliver a final piece of legislation to support our incredible service members. “As always, I welcome the guidance and input of my constituents so that I can continue to legislate in a way that best serves our community and strengthens our nation.”
That email didn’t share Jack’s opinion about whether Fort Benning should be renamed back to Fort Moore. So the L-E asked again. This story will be updated when that answer is received.
Nobody from Bishop’s office has replied to the L-E’s query.
This story was originally published September 26, 2025 at 10:31 AM.
