Old Base, New Base, Old Base Again
Nine Army installations were renamed in 2023 under the Naming Commission. By 2025, all nine had been reverted — same names, entirely new honorees. Three official names in under three years.
All nine installations are back to their original names. The 2023 Commission names — Fort Liberty, Fort Cavazos, Fort Moore, Fort Eisenhower, Fort Gregg-Adams, Fort Johnson, Fort Novosel, Fort Barfoot, Fort Walker — are no longer in effect. The bases officially honor entirely different people than they did before 2023, but the names on the gate are the same ones that have been there for decades.
The Full Cheat Sheet
Three columns: the original Confederate-era name, the 2023 Commission name (now superseded), and the current name with 2025 honoree.
| Current name | 2023 Commission name ↗ | Current honoree (2025) | ST |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fort Bragg | Fort Liberty | Pfc. Roland L. Bragg, USA | NC |
| Fort Benning | Fort Moore | Cpl. Fred G. Benning, USA | GA |
| Fort Pickett | Fort Barfoot | 1st Lt. Vernon W. Pickett, USA | VA |
| Fort Gordon | Fort Eisenhower | MSG Gary I. Gordon, USA | GA |
| Fort Hood | Fort Cavazos | Col. Robert B. Hood, USA | TX |
| Fort Lee | Fort Gregg-Adams | Pvt. Fitz Lee, USA | VA |
| Fort Polk | Fort Johnson | Gen. James H. Polk, USA | LA |
| Fort Rucker | Fort Novosel | Capt. Edward W. Rucker, USA | AL |
| Fort A.P. Hill | Fort Walker | Lt. Col. Edward Hill + 1st Sgt. Robert A. Pinn + Pvt. Bruce Anderson | VA |
Struck-through names are the 2023 Commission designations — correct for any document dated 2023–early 2025, superseded for documents dated after mid-2025.
How the Reversions Happened
The reversions happened in two waves. Both waves relied on the same legal mechanism: find a different honoree with the same surname (or same initials), and redesignate the installation to honor them instead of the Confederate officer. The NDAA 2021 prohibition on Confederate namesakes is still law — the administration worked around it rather than repealing it.
President Trump signed Executive Order 14172 ("Restoring Names That Honor American Greatness") on Inauguration Day, January 20, 2025. Within weeks, SecDef Pete Hegseth acted on that authority to revert two bases without waiting for a broader presidential order:
- Fort Liberty → Fort Bragg (February 10, 2025) — now honors Pfc. Roland L. Bragg, USA
- Fort Moore → Fort Benning (March 3, 2025) — now honors Cpl. Fred G. Benning, USA
Trump announced reversions for the remaining seven installations on June 10, 2025. Ceremonies followed over the subsequent months:
- Fort Barfoot → Fort Pickett (June 13, 2025) — now honors 1st Lt. Vernon W. Pickett, USA
- Fort Eisenhower → Fort Gordon (June 2025) — now honors MSG Gary I. Gordon, USA
- Fort Cavazos → Fort Hood (June 2025) — now honors Col. Robert B. Hood, USA
- Fort Gregg-Adams → Fort Lee (June 2025) — now honors Pvt. Fitz Lee, USA
- Fort Johnson → Fort Polk (June 2025) — now honors Gen. James H. Polk, USA
- Fort Novosel → Fort Rucker (June 2025) — now honors Capt. Edward W. Rucker, USA
- Fort Walker → Fort A.P. Hill (August 27, 2025) — now honors Lt. Col. Edward Hill + 1st Sgt. Robert A. Pinn + Pvt. B…
Section 370 of Public Law 116-283 (NDAA FY2021) prohibits naming DoD installations after anyone who "served voluntarily with the Confederate States." The workaround: locate a different person with the same last name who served honorably in the U.S. military. For Fort A.P. Hill — "A.P." for Ambrose Powell — the administration found three Union Army Medal of Honor recipients whose surnames (Anderson, Pinn, Hill) produced the initials A., P., and Hill. Legal scholars describe this as probably compliant with the letter of the statute. Whether it honors the intent is a separate debate.
All Three Generations, Installation by Installation
Who the name honored when it was built, who it honored 2023–2025, and who it honors now.
The Department of War
On September 5, 2025, President Trump signed Executive Order 14347 ("Restoring the United States Department of War"). The short version: it is a branding change, not a legal name change — yet.
Authorizes "Department of War" as a secondary operating designation. The Secretary of Defense is permitted to sign correspondence as "Secretary of War." The domain war.gov is live and in active use.
It does not change the legal name of the department. The National Security Act of 1947 created the Department of Defense — only an act of Congress can rename it. Bills have been introduced (S. 2685, H.R. 5080), but as of mid-2026, none have passed.
The FY2026 National Defense Authorization Act (signed December 2025) uses "Department of War" language in several provisions, acknowledging the secondary designation. This is not the same as a statutory rename.
Your DD-214, VA claim, separation paperwork, and any legal document will continue to say "Department of Defense" until Congress acts. "Department of War" in official correspondence is accurate as a secondary designation, but "Department of Defense" remains the controlling statutory name. No document correction is needed.
Ships: What Changed, What Didn't
The base reversions got most of the attention, but there were naval changes too.
- USNS Harvey Milk → USNS Oscar V. Peterson (June 27, 2025). SecDef Hegseth ordered the change on June 3, 2025. Oscar V. Peterson was a Chief Watertender who died heroically at the Battle of the Coral Sea in WWII.
- USS Robert Smalls (ex-USS Chancellorsville) — as of mid-2026, this 2023 Commission rename has not been reverted. The Navy stated in late June 2025 that no further ship renamings were planned.
- USNS Marie Tharp (ex-USNS Maury) — also not reverted as of mid-2026.
- Trump-class battleships — Trump announced a new class of nuclear-powered guided-missile warships designated the Trump-class in December 2025, with the first hull to be USS Defiant (BBG-1). This is forward-naming, not a reversion — no precedent for naming a class after a sitting president.
Three Generations on Your Paperwork
Which name to use depends on when the document was created, not what the base is called today.
Use the original name — "Fort Bragg," "Fort Hood," "Fort Benning," etc. Those were the official names at the time. No correction needed.
Use the Commission name for documents dated in that window — "Fort Liberty," "Fort Cavazos," "Fort Moore," etc. Those were the official names when the document was created. The VA, OPM, and USAJOBS treat all naming generations as the same location.
Use the current name — "Fort Bragg," "Fort Hood," "Fort Benning," etc. These are the official names in effect from mid-2025 onward, now honoring new non-Confederate individuals.
Update your address of record (MyPay, TRICARE, VA, creditors) to the current official name. ZIP codes never changed through any of these transitions. USPS routes both 2023 names and current names during the transition window.
All three generations of base names are recognized by VBMS adjudicators. A stressor statement referencing "Fort Bragg" from 2001, "Fort Liberty" from 2024, or "Fort Bragg" from 2026 will not be denied on name grounds alone. If a processor pushes back, request HLR or escalate through your VSO.
The Names People Actually Use
In 2023, service members who kept saying "Bragg," "Hood," and "Benning" were technically behind the official name. By 2025, those same people were using the correct official name again — for entirely different reasons than they originally chose to use it.
The people who fully adopted "Fort Liberty" in 2024 now have to update their language a second time. The people who never stopped saying "Bragg" got spared that particular transition — even though the honoree behind the name changed underneath them.
On a resume, in orders, or on a VA claim: use whichever official name was in effect on the date the document covers. In conversation: use whichever name the other person used first — it still tells you when they got there, or which news cycle they were paying attention to.
Bases That Never Changed
These posts were not in scope for the 2023 renames, and therefore had nothing to revert in 2025.
| Post | Namesake | Why it stayed |
|---|---|---|
| Fort Knox, KY | MG Henry Knox | Revolutionary War; first U.S. Secretary of War. |
| Fort Sill, OK | BG Joshua Sill | Union officer killed at Stones River, 1862. |
| Fort Riley, KS | BG Bennet Riley | Mexican–American War; Union sympathies, died before the Civil War. |
| Fort Carson, CO | BG Kit Carson | Frontier general. Controversial figure, but not Confederate. |
| Fort Drum, NY | LTG Hugh A. Drum | WWI/WWII Army general; First Army commander. |
| Fort Stewart, GA | BG Daniel Stewart | Revolutionary War militia officer. |
| Fort Campbell, KY/TN | BG William Bowen Campbell | Mexican–American War; Tennessee Unionist during the Civil War. |
Questions People Actually Ask
Are the 2023 names (Fort Liberty, Fort Cavazos, etc.) still official?
No. All nine 2023 Naming Commission names were superseded by 2025. Fort Liberty reverted to Fort Bragg on February 10, 2025. Fort Moore reverted to Fort Benning on March 3, 2025. The remaining seven reverted following President Trump's June 10, 2025 announcement. As of mid-2025, the official name of every installation is its original pre-2023 name — with an entirely different honoree behind it.
The names went back to the old names — does that mean they honor the Confederate generals again?
No. The workaround used in every case was to find a different person with the same last name (or same initials for A.P. Hill) and redesignate the installation to honor them instead. Fort Bragg now honors Pfc. Roland L. Bragg, a WWII paratrooper — not Confederate Gen. Braxton Bragg. Fort Benning now honors Cpl. Fred G. Benning, a WWI veteran — not Confederate Gen. Henry L. Benning. Legal scholars and Naming Commission members called this a workaround, but it appears to comply with the letter of the NDAA 2021 prohibition on Confederate namesakes.
What does this mean for my DD-214 or VA claim with an old base name?
A DD-214 is a historical record — it reflects the duty station name as it existed on the dates listed. If your DD-214 says "Fort Bragg," "Fort Hood," or "Fort Benning" — any of the original pre-2023 names — that is correct and recognized. If it says "Fort Liberty," "Fort Cavazos," "Fort Moore," or any other 2023 Commission name, that is also correct for the period covered. The VA, OPM, and federal HR systems recognize all three generations. No record correction (DD-149) is needed just to update a base name.
Why were the 2023 names changed back so quickly?
President Trump signed Executive Order 14172 ("Restoring Names That Honor American Greatness") on January 20, 2025 — his first day in office. This directed agencies to reverse naming changes made under prior administrations. Secretary of Defense Hegseth acted on that order within weeks for Fort Liberty (Bragg) and Fort Moore (Benning). Trump then signed a specific order for the remaining seven installations on June 10, 2025. The NDAA 2021 prohibition on Confederate namesakes is still law, which is why the administration used a legal workaround rather than directly reinstating the Confederate generals.
Is the Department of Defense now officially called the Department of War?
Not legally — not yet. President Trump signed Executive Order 14347 ("Restoring the United States Department of War") on September 5, 2025. The EO authorizes the use of "Department of War" as a secondary operating designation and permits the Secretary of Defense to sign correspondence as "Secretary of War." The website war.gov is live. However, the legal name of the department under the National Security Act of 1947 remains "Department of Defense" until Congress passes legislation. The FY2026 NDAA acknowledged the secondary designation without formally changing the statutory name. For your DD-214, VA claim, or any legal document, the department is still the Department of Defense.
Why didn't Fort Knox, Fort Sill, or Fort Drum get renamed in 2023 — and did they get reverted?
They were never renamed in the first place. The 2023 Naming Commission's mandate was narrow: assets named after people who voluntarily served with the Confederacy. Forts named for Union officers (Sill, Riley), Revolutionary War figures (Knox, Stewart), Mexican-American War veterans, or 20th-century generals (Drum, Campbell) were outside scope and untouched. Because nothing changed for those posts in 2023, there was also nothing to revert in 2025.
What about the Navy ships — USS Chancellorsville, USNS Maury, and USNS Harvey Milk?
USNS Harvey Milk was renamed USNS Oscar V. Peterson on June 27, 2025 — Secretary Hegseth ordered the change as part of what he called reestablishing "warrior culture." Oscar V. Peterson was a Chief Watertender who died heroically at the Battle of the Coral Sea in WWII. As of mid-2026, USS Robert Smalls (formerly USS Chancellorsville) and USNS Marie Tharp (formerly USNS Maury) have not been reverted. The Pentagon stated in late June 2025 that no further ship renamings were planned.
My mailing address says the 2023 Commission name. Do I need to update it?
Yes — update it to the current name (the one in this guide). USPS will continue routing both 2023 names and original names for a transition period, but using the current official name is correct. ZIP codes did not change through any of these transitions. Update your address of record with MyPay, TRICARE, VA, and creditors to use the current designation.
What if my orders, awards, or background check shows a 2023 Commission name?
Documents using the 2023 Commission names (Fort Liberty, Fort Cavazos, Fort Moore, etc.) are correct as historical records for the period 2023–2025. USAJOBS, OPM, and major background-check vendors recognize all naming generations as the same location. Putting "Fort Hood (formerly Fort Cavazos)" on a resume is optional — either name for the applicable period is valid.
- • NDAA FY2021, Section 370 — Public Law 116-283 — congress.gov/PLAW-116publ283.pdf
- • H.R. 6395 (116th Congress) — congress.gov/bill/116th-congress/house-bill/6395
- • Executive Order 14172 ("Restoring Names That Honor American Greatness"), Jan 20, 2025 — whitehouse.gov
- • Executive Order 14347 ("Restoring the United States Department of War"), Sep 5, 2025 — whitehouse.gov
- • Per-base redesignation ceremony press releases — army.mil (search installation name + "redesignation")
- • Fort Pickett / Fort Barfoot reversion (June 13, 2025) — va.ng.mil/Installations/Fort-Pickett
- • The Naming Commission Final Report, Volumes I–III (Aug–Sep 2022) — archives.gov
- • VA guidance on duty station records — va.gov