| Fort Novosel | |
|---|---|
| Fort Novosel, Alabama | |
 | |
  Fort Novosel | |
| Coordinates | 31°20′15″N 85°42′40″W / 31.33750°N 85.71111°W |
| Type | Army post |
| Site information | |
| Controlled by | United States Army |
| Open to the public | No (The Army Aviation Museum is open to the public. ID and proof of auto insurance are required to enter the installation.) |
| Condition | Operational |
| Site history | |
| Built | 1 May 1942 |
| In use | 1942–present |
| Garrison information | |
| Current commander | Major General Clair A. Gill |
| Past commanders | Brigadier General Michael D. Lundy Maj. Gen. James O. Barclay III, 2008–2010[1] |
| Garrison | 1st Aviation Brigade 110th Aviation Brigade 23rd Flying Training Squadron |
| Occupants | 1st Aviation Brigade |
Fort Novosel (formerly Fort Rucker) is a United States Army post located primarily in Dale County, Alabama, United States. It is named in honor of Chief Warrant Officer Michael J. Novosel, an Army aviator and Medal of Honor recipient.[2][3] It was previously named for a Civil War officer, Confederate Colonel Edmund Rucker.[4] The post is the primary flight training installation for U.S. Army Aviators and is home to the United States Army Aviation Center of Excellence (USAACE) and the United States Army Aviation Museum. Small sections of the post also lie in Coffee, Geneva, and Houston counties. Part of the Dale County section of the base is a census-designated place; its population was 4,636 at the 2010 census.[5]
The main post has entrances from three bordering cities, Daleville, Ozark and Enterprise. In the years before the September 11, 2001 attacks, the main post (except airfields and other restricted areas) was an open post with unmanned gates allowing civilians to drive through. Following the attacks, this policy was changed, and the post is now closed to unauthorized traffic and visitors.
It was one of the U.S. Army installations named for Confederate soldiers that was recommended for renaming by The Naming Commission. Their recommendation was that the post be renamed Fort Novosel.[6] On 5 January 2023 William A. LaPlante, U.S. under-secretary of defense for acquisition and sustainment (USD (A&S)) directed the full implementation of the recommendations of the Naming Commission, DoD-wide.[7] The post was redesignated Fort Novosel on 10 April 2023.[8]
- ^ Brainard, Emily; Russell Sellers (19 August 2010). "Crutchfield assumes command of USAACE, Fort Rucker". Army.mil. Retrieved 13 December 2010.
- ^ Gore, Leada (24 May 2022). "Fort Rucker to be renamed to honor Alabama man, Medal of Honor recipient Michael Novosel". al. Retrieved 11 April 2023.
- ^ "Home of Army Aviation to be redesignated Fort Novosel". www.army.mil. Retrieved 11 April 2023.
- ^ Levenson, Michael (11 June 2020). "These Are the 10 U.S. Army Installations Named for Confederates". The New York Times. Retrieved 14 June 2020.
- ^ "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 14 May 2011.
- ^ The Naming Commission (Aug 2022) Recommendation Archived 9 October 2022 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ (5 January 2023) Pentagon Press Secretary Air Force Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder Holds an On-Camera Press Briefing
- ^ Gast, Phil (10 April 2023). "Fort Rucker was named for a Confederate. The Army post will now be called Fort Novosel, for a Medal of Honor recipient who rescued thousands". CNN.