The Department of Defense announced on Oct. 6 that Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III issued a memo accepting the recommendations of a congressionally authorized commission to rename U.S. military installations honoring Confederate soldiers. This included nine army installations, Fort Bragg among them.

The Naming Commission, which first met in 2021, completed its analysis earlier this year with recommendations to remove all Department of Defense assets with “the names, symbols, displays, monuments, and paraphernalia that honor or commemorate the Confederate States of America (commonly referred to as the ‘Confederacy’) or any person who served voluntarily with the Confederate States of America.” The commission found over 1,100 Confederate references across the Defense Department.

Fort Bragg was identified as the Army installation named after Confederate Gen. Braxton Bragg.
The commission recommended changing Fort Bragg’s name to Fort Liberty.

“In the words of Admiral Michelle M. Howard, the Naming Commission's chair, the commission's goal was to inspire Service members and military communities ‘with names or values that have meaning.’ The Department's implementation of the Commission's recommendations will do just that - and will give proud new names that are rooted in their local communities and that honor American heroes whose valor, courage, and patriotism exemplify the very best of the United States military,” Austin’s memo stated.

Bragg was the only facility to get a proposed name that is not connected to a figure in military history. However, Lawrence Romo, a member of the Naming Commission, said that at the second listening session that included civilians, servicemembers and committee leaders, many were “very, very adamant about the name Fort Liberty.”

The word “Liberty” can be found in the 82nd Airborne Song, and the value of liberty is deeply connected with the military.

“We acknowledge the announcement by the Secretary of Defense and we are in close coordination with the Army, OSD, and the Naming Commission,” said Fort Bragg Garrison Commander Col. John Wilcox.

Beginning on Dec. 18, the Department of Defense will start its plan to rename assets. On Fort Bragg, this includes a number of streets, buildings, equipment, uniforms, databases, police vehicles, recycling bin decals, plaques, the USASOC Memorial Wall, the Parade Field, the 82nd Airborne Museum, and the Hendrick Stadium Memorial Wall.

However, according to Austin's mandate, some of the commission’s recommended changes, such as altering the Department of Defense’s memorialization and naming processes, will be implemented immediately, according to Austin’s mandate.

“The installations and facilities that our Department operates are more than vital national security assets. 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,” Austin wrote.

It will cost the Pentagon an estimated $62.5 million to implement the recommendations. The cost estimation for Fort Bragg – soon-to-be Fort Liberty – is $6,374,230. The most expensive military installation to rename.

The Department of Defense has until Jan. 1, 2024, to complete all renaming and removals at the installations.