Defense &
National Security
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Defense &
National Security
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A second name reversal: Hegseth orders Army base return to Fort Benning |
The Pentagon will change the name of the Georgia military base Fort Moore back to Fort Benning, formerly named after a Confederate general, though this time it will honor a different man. |
© Mike Haskey/Ledger-Enquirer via AP |
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Monday signed a memorandum to restore the name of the Army base to Fort Benning after it was renamed Fort Moore in May 2023, one of nine military installations honoring Confederate generals that Congress mandated be changed.
Hegseth said the new moniker pays tribute to Cpl. Fred G. Benning, who was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross for his actions during World War I while serving with the U.S. Army in France in 1918. The base was originally named for Lt. Gen. Henry Benning, a Confederate general who opposed freeing slaves. Hegseth’s order further fulfills a campaign pledge by President Trump, who vowed to revert bases to their original names.
The Pentagon in February switched the North Carolina military base Fort Liberty back to Fort Bragg. In that case, Private First Class Roland Bragg, a decorated World War II veteran, was chosen as the namesake, in lieu of Braxton Bragg, another Confederate general.
On his first official day at the Pentagon, Hegseth signaled the changes were coming when he called Fort Liberty and Fort Moore by their previous names, Fort Bragg and Fort Benning. One of the largest military installations in the country, Fort Benning sits on Georgia’s border with Alabama and supports roughly 120,000 active-duty service members, their families, and civilian employees.
It was renamed Fort Moore to honor Lt. Gen. Hal Moore and his wife, Julie Moore, who committed their lives to the service and helping Army families.
Steve Moore, one of the couple’s sons, last month wrote an essay in the War Horse, saying he was “disappointed” at Fort Bragg’s name change calling the decision “so wrong.”
Read the full report at TheHill.com. |
Welcome to The Hill’s Defense & National Security newsletter, I'm Ellen Mitchell — your guide to the latest developments at the Pentagon, on Capitol Hill and beyond. |
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How policy will affect defense and national security now and in
the future: |
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Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick (R-Pa.) says he’s confident the derailed mineral deal between the U.S. and Ukraine “will be signed in short order,” despite the confrontational meeting between President Trump, Vice President Vance and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky that thwarted its finalization last week. “We are 100% getting this train back on the tracks,” Fitzpatrick wrote on X on Monday. “This … |
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Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has halted offensive cyber operations against Russia, according to media reports. The Pentagon chief ordered U.S. Cyber Command to pause offensive operations last week, CNN and NBC reported. The move comes amid what appears to be a broader shift in U.S.-Russia relations under the Trump administration. A senior defense official declined to comment on “cyber intelligence, plans, … |
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The Wall Street Journal’s editorial board went after President Trump on foreign policy on Sunday, saying it is “less brave new world than a reversion to a dangerous old one.” The board highlighted recent actions such as Trump trying to “wash his hands” of Ukraine and threatening allies in Europe and North America with even higher tariffs than adversaries like China. “All of this would amount to … |
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Upcoming things we're watching on our beat: |
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President Trump will deliver an address to a joint session of Congress, with Vice President Vance; Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.); and House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) at 8 p.m. tomorrow in the U.S. Capitol.
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Sen. Elissa Slotkin (D-Mich.) will deliver the Democratic response to Trump’s address to Congress at 9:30 p.m.
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Branch out with a different read from The Hill: |
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Waltz likens Zelensky to an ‘ex-girlfriend’ after contentious Oval Office meeting |
National security adviser Mike Waltz compared Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to an “ex-girlfriend” who wants to relitigate issues from nearly a decade prior. In an interview on Breitbart Radio on Saturday, Waltz was critical of Zelensky’s approach to the Oval Office meeting and to his subsequent … |
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Events in and around the defense world: |
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The Senate Armed Services Committee will hold a hearing on the nomination of Elbridge Colby to be undersecretary of defense for policy at 9:30 a.m.
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The Senate Foreign Relations Committee will have a hearing on the nominations of Matthew Whitaker to be U.S. permanent representative on the Council of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization at 10 a.m.
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The Air and Space Forces Association will host its Warfare Symposium on “The Threat is Now: Building the Force to Win,” at 11:15 a.m.
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A House Homeland Security subcommittee will hold a hearing on “The Digital Battlefield: How Terrorists Use the Internet and Online Networks for Recruitment and Radicalization,” at 2 p.m.
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News we've flagged from other outlets: |
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With chemical weapons destroyed, hundreds of layoffs begin at Army depot in Kentucky (Lexington Herald-Leader)
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Chinese warships circle Australia, stoking an anxious nation’s worst fears (The Straits Times)
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How Trump’s history with Russia and Ukraine set the stage for a blowup with Zelenskyy (The Associated Press)
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Two key stories on The Hill right now: |
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Martin O’Malley, the former commissioner of the Social Security Administration (SSA), said Monday the recent cuts made by tech billionaire Elon Musk’s … Read more |
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Ontario Premier Doug Ford said Monday he is prepared to cut off electricity exports to the U.S. if President Trump’s 25 percent tariffs on Canadian … Read more |
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Op-eds related to defense & national security submitted to The Hill: |
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You're all caught up. See you tomorrow! |
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The Pentagon will change the name of the Georgia military base Fort Moore back to Fort Benning, formerly named after a Confederate general, though this time it will honor a different man. Defense ...
The Hill - 7h
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The base, originally named for Lt.-Gen. Henry Benning, a Confederate general and Southern secessionist who opposed freeing slaves, will now honor a World War I Cpl. Fred Benning.
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