Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth referred to “Fort Liberty” as “Fort Bragg” on Monday two days after he was sworn in on a razor-thin 51-50 vote in the Senate. The military base, originally named after General Braxton Bragg, was renamed under the Biden administration due to Bragg’s service in the Confederate Army during the Civil War.
“Every moment that I’m here, I’m thinking about the guys and gals in Guam, in Germany, at Fort Benning and Fort Bragg, on missile defense sites and aircraft carriers. Our job is lethality and readiness and warfighting,” Hegseth said.
“We’re going to hold people accountable, I know the chairman agrees with that. The lawful orders of the President of the United States will be executed inside this Defense Department swiftly and without excuse,” he continued. “We will be no better friend to our allies and no better adversary to those who want to test us and try us.”
Fort Benning, originally named after Confederate General Henry Lewis Benning, was also renamed under the previous administration. The military installation is currently called Fort Moore.
In 2022, then-Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin played a key role in implementing the name changes for military posts.
At the time, he explained, “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.”
