Overview

• Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth appeared before the Senate Armed Services Committee Wednesday to defend President Trump’s plan to restore Confederate-era names at seven military bases.
• The reversion affects Fort Rucker in Alabama, Fort Gordon in Georgia, Fort Polk in Louisiana, Fort Hood in Texas and three Virginia installations: Fort Pickett, Fort Robert E. Lee and Fort A.P. Hill.
• Hegseth maintained the change would bolster Army morale and signaled plans to honor living veterans and officials bearing the same surnames as the original honorees.
• Senators Angus King and Tammy Duckworth denounced the renaming as an affront to racial equity efforts and questioned its impact on diversity and inclusion within the armed forces.
• Senator Tim Kaine criticized the lack of outreach to families of the honorees, noting that relatives learned of the decision through news outlets rather than direct notification.