Army considering changing name of Fort Liberty back to Fort Bragg

Army officials are considering changing the name of Fort Liberty in North Carolina back to Fort Bragg, according to two people familiar with the conversations. 

In 2021, Congress established a commission tasked with renaming Department of Defense properties that were named after Confederate leaders. Then-President Donald Trump vetoed the bill, arguing against changing any of the names, but Congress overrode the veto, making the changes mandatory by law. 

In 2022, the commission recommended changing the names of nine Army installations, including Fort Bragg, which was named after General Braxton Bragg in 1918, a native North Carolinian and Confederate leader who fought in the Mexican-American War. In June 2023, the base was officially renamed Fort Liberty. 

During a campaign event in Fayetteville, North Carolina, in October, Trump said he would change the name back. “We get elected, I’m doing it,” he told the crowd. “We did win two world wars from Fort Bragg, right? So this is not a time to be changing names,” he said, adding, “We’re going to get it back.” 

While working as a Fox News host, Pete Hegseth was critical of the names being changed, calling it “a sham” and “garbage.” When he walked into the Pentagon on his first full day as secretary of defense, Hegseth referred to Fort Liberty as Fort Bragg, setting off speculation that he would move to change it back. 

The Army referred questions to the Office of the Secretary of Defense. A spokesperson for the office did not respond to a request for comment.

The Army is exploring legal ways to change the base’s name without violating the law that bans the use of confederate names, the two people familiar with the conversations said.

One option is to name the base after another soldier named Bragg, like Private First Class Roland Bragg, who was awarded the Silver Star for conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity in action while serving in the 17th Airborne Division during World War II.

The renaming commission considered other soldiers named Bragg as well. One of the names that was a semi-finalist was Edward S. Bragg, a Union Army officer in the Civil War who also served in the U.S. House of Representatives and eventually became a diplomat.

The commission report estimated that the cost of renaming the fort would be over $6 million, but Army officials say the total cost would be significantly less. The state of North Carolina spent hundreds of thousands more to change highway and roads signs, according to the North Carolina Department of Transportation.  

Fort Liberty is home to the storied 82nd Airborne Division, whose mission includes being able to deploy within 18 hours of notification in the case of an emergency. The unit, nicknamed “All American,” was constituted on Aug. 5, 1917. 

Fort Liberty is also home to the U.S. Army Special Operations Command, Joint Special Operations Command, XVIII Airborne Corps, and others. 

The sprawling base covers about 170,000 acres, or more than 250 square miles. More than 55,000 military service members and 12,000 civilians work at Fort Liberty and roughly 25,000 family members live there.