Naming Commission

The Naming Commission
Commission wordmark
Commission overview
FormedMarch 2, 2021; 3 years ago (2021-03-02)
DissolvedOctober 1, 2022; 2 years ago (2022-10-01)
TypeFederal commission
JurisdictionDepartment of Defense
Annual budget$2 million (total for life of commission)
Commission executives
Key document
WebsiteArchived website
The commission considered and provided recommendations on U.S. bases named for Confederate soldiers, such as Fort Bragg (now known as Fort Liberty), one of the largest military installations in the world, which was named for Confederate General Braxton Bragg

The Commission on the Naming of Items of the Department of Defense that Commemorate the Confederate States of America or Any Person Who Served Voluntarily with the Confederate States of America, more commonly referred to as the Naming Commission, was a United States government commission created by the United States Congress in 2021 to create a list of military assets with names associated with the Confederate States of America and recommendations for their removal.[1]

In the summer of 2020, the George Floyd protests and resulting removal of Confederate monuments drew attention to the U.S. Army installations named for Confederate soldiers. These installations and other defense property were generally named in the early to mid-20th century at the height of the Jim Crow era to court support from Southerners.[2][3]

In response, lawmakers added a provision for a renaming commission to the William M. (Mac) Thornberry National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2021 (NDAA). Enacted on January 1, 2021, the law was passed over President Donald Trump's veto.[4] The law required the commission to develop a list that could be used to "remove all names, symbols, displays, monuments, and paraphernalia that honor or commemorate the Confederate States of America or any person who served voluntarily with the Confederate States of America from all assets of the Department of Defense."[5] The law required the Secretary of Defense to implement the plan within three years of its enactment.

In summer and fall 2022, the commission delivered its report and recommendations to Congress in three parts. It disbanded on October 1, 2022, after fulfilling its duties to Congress.[1]

On October 6, Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin declared in a memo that he concurred with all the commission's recommendations and was committed to implementing them as soon as possible, within legal constraints.[6] On 5 January 2023, William A. LaPlante, U.S. under secretary of defense for acquisition and sustainment (USD (A&S)), directed the Department to implement all of the commission's recommendations.[7]

  1. ^ a b "The Naming Commission". The Naming Commission. Archived from the original on September 2, 2021. Retrieved September 2, 2021.
  2. ^ "Naming of U.S. Army Posts". U.S. Army Center of Military History. Retrieved August 7, 2021.
  3. ^ Horton, Alex (June 11, 2020). "Trump won't rename Army posts that honor Confederates. Here's why they're named after traitors". Washington Post. Retrieved August 7, 2021.
  4. ^ Kheel, Rebecca (January 8, 2021). "Pentagon appoints commissioners to scrub Confederate base names". TheHill. Retrieved February 12, 2021.
  5. ^ "H.R.6395 - 116th Congress (2019-2020): National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2021". U.S. Congress. January 1, 2021. Retrieved February 12, 2021.
  6. ^ "Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III Directs Implementation of the Naming Commission's". U.S. Department of Defense. Retrieved February 10, 2023.
  7. ^ "Pentagon Press Secretary Air Force Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder Holds an On-Camera Press Briefing". U.S. Department of Defense.