Trump orders names restored to military bases honoring Confederates
WASHINGTON - President Donald Trump said Tuesday he has ordered the restoration of the names of several US military bases that honored officers who fought for the Confederacy in the American Civil War.
While the redesignations will return the facilities to their original names, they come with a twist, as the bases will ostensibly honor other military personnel who have the same names, and not those who fought to maintain slavery in the South.
The Republican president made the announcement in a speech at the country's largest military base, which he had renamed to Fort Bragg in February after predecessor Joe Biden changed it to Fort Liberty in 2023.
"We are also going to be restoring the names to Fort Pickett, Fort Hood, Fort Gordon, Fort Rucker, Fort Polk, Fort A.P. Hill and Fort Robert E. Lee," Trump told soldiers.
"We won a lot of battles out of those forts. It's no time to change."
The move reverses a renaming process begun in the wake of the death of George Floyd, whose murder by police in 2020 focused a spotlight on systemic racism.
A naming commission ultimately recommended hundreds of locations be redesignated, among them nine US Army bases named after Confederate officers who had fought for the South in defense of slavery during the country's 1861-1865 Civil War.
The Pentagon said Tuesday that the new base names, while consistent with the last names of the Confederate officers, actually honor different military veterans.
For example, while the original Fort Bragg honors Confederate general Braxton Bragg, the new name commemorates Roland L. Bragg, a little-known World War II hero, officials said.
Fort Robert E Lee in Virginia, which was redesignated Fort Gregg-Adams in honor of two African-American servicemembers, was changed back to Fort Lee.
But the new name honors Medal of Honor recipient Private Fitz Lee who fought in the Spanish-American War, said the Pentagon, and not the Robert E Lee who was overall commander of the Confederate army.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
IOL News
an hour ago
- IOL News
Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma urges African Mayors to transform urban spaces
Dr Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma speaking during the opening of the U20 African Mayors Assembly Image: Oupa Mokoena/Independent Newspapers During the first full plenary of the U20 African Mayors' Assembly and Sherpa Meeting held on Thursday in Tshwane, former Chairperson of the African Union, Dr Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma said we must build cities where young people wish to stay and fix our continent, rather than wanting to leave. 'Together we can build a bright future to reflect the true spirit of the African Renaissance…As African mayors you have the responsibility of creating cities that are economically vibrant, socially inclusive and environmentally sustainable," Dlamini-Zuma told the various delegates during her keynote address. She addressed the gathering on the relevance of African Renaissance in an urban setting and said cities are critical in creating the Africa we want. 'The Africa we have now, is not the one we want,' she said. She urged the various mayors to commit to building a brighter future for our people and one which reflects the true spirit of the African Renaissance. 'As African mayors you have the unique opportunity to transform our African cities into vibrant hubs,' she said. Dlamini-Zuma stressed that people working in cities must live in the cities. This will mean that they will have access to proper, safe and affordable public transport, as well as to adequate healthcare and good education. She further stressed that cities must be safe, especially for women and children. 'I believe in cities that don't sleep. Cities which don't sleep are safer.' Dlamini-Zuma pointed out that cities must also have proper infrastructure, which includes proper roads and airports. Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Next Stay Close ✕ The infrastructure must be able to connect cities throughout the continent. She said people should be able to drive or take a train to another African country if they so wished.' We need to decolonise minds. If we do not, we remain colonised,' she said. Tshwane Mayor Dr Nasiphi Moya meanwhile during her opening address told the delegation that they meet not as individuals, but as a collective. 'We are connected by geography, guided by duty, and united in our determination to realise the full potential of our cities.' She said this is a time when the world is looking to cities for solutions. 'Tshwane, like many African cities, is growing rapidly. We are urbanising at speed, but often without the infrastructure or resources to match. Our challenges are not unique. They reflect a wider African reality,' Moya said. She pointed out that cities are becoming centres of innovation, climate action, and economic activity. 'They are where the future of Africa is being shaped,' she said, but added that there are still serious challenges ahead. 'Urban 20 gives us a vital megaphone within the G20. It is our opportunity to inject African priorities into global policy, and to ensure that local voices shape global decisions,' Moya said.
Daily Maverick
an hour ago
- Daily Maverick
UN nuclear watchdog says Iran in breach of obligations, Iran announces counter-measures
The U.N. nuclear watchdog's board of governors declared Iran in breach of its non-proliferation obligations on Thursday and Tehran announced counter-measures, as an Iranian official said a "friendly country" had warned it of a potential Israeli attack. U.S. and Iranian officials will hold a sixth round of talks on Tehran's accelerating uranium enrichment programme in Oman on Sunday, the Omani foreign minister said on Thursday. But security fears have risen since U.S. President Donald Trump said on Wednesday American personnel were being moved out of the region because 'it could be a dangerous place' and that Tehran would not be allowed to develop a nuclear weapon. Trump has threatened to bomb Iran if the nuclear talks do not progress, and in an interview released on Wednesday said he had become less confident that Tehran would agree to stop enriching uranium. The Islamic Republic wants a lifting of the U.S. sanctions imposed on the country since 2018. The International Atomic Energy Agency's policy-making Board of Governors declared Iran in breach of its non-proliferation obligations for the first time in almost 20 years, raising the prospect of reporting it to the U.N. Security Council. The step is the culmination of several stand-offs between the Vienna-based IAEA and Iran since Trump pulled the U.S. out of a nuclear deal between Tehran and major powers in 2018 during his first term, after which that accord unravelled. An IAEA official said Iran had responded by informing the nuclear watchdog that it plans to open a new uranium enrichment facility. After the IAEA decision, the Israeli Foreign Ministry said Tehran's actions undermine the global Non-Proliferation Treaty and posed an imminent threat to regional and international security and stability. Iran is a signatory to the NPT while Israel is not and is believed to have the Middle East's sole nuclear arsenal. MARKET REACTION Markets absorbed the developments in a volatile Middle East. Oil prices eased on Thursday as the market assessed the situation, having surged more than 4% on Wednesday to their highest since early April. But shares in European airlines, travel companies and hotel chains were among the biggest fallers in morning trade as investors worried the heightened tensions would knock demand for travel and higher oil prices would add to costs. 'Clearly it is Iran that is at the centre of this and the possibility that you see a strike from the U.S. or Israel,' said Paul McNamara, a director of emerging market debt for investment firm GAM. 'There is a lot of scope for things to get a whole lot worse if we do see a military strike and a sustained attack.' Iran's response to the IAEA resolution was among several countermeasures being taken, Iranian state TV said. The IAEA official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said Tehran had given no further details on the planned new enrichment sites, such as its location to enable monitoring by U.N. nuclear inspectors. Behrouz Kamalvandi, spokesperson for Iran's atomic energy organisation, told state TV that Tehran had informed the IAEA of two countermeasures including 'the upgrading of centrifuges in Fordow (enrichment plant) from first to sixth generation, which will significantly boost the production of enriched uranium'. Enrichment can be used to produce uranium for reactor fuel or, at higher levels of refinement, for atomic bombs. Iran says its nuclear energy programme is only for peaceful purposes. Reiterating Iran's stance that it will not abandon the right to enrichment as an NPT member, a senior Iranian official told Reuters that rising Middle East tensions served to 'influence Tehran to change its position about its nuclear rights'. 'POTENTIAL ISRAELI STRIKE' The Iranian official said a 'friendly' country had alerted Tehran to a potential strike on its nuclear sites by arch-adversary Israel and reiterated that the Islamic Republic would not abandon its commitment to enrichment. 'We don't want tensions and prefer diplomacy to resolve the (nuclear) issue, but our armed forces are fully ready to respond to any military strike,' the official said. Iranian state media reported that Iran's military had begun drills earlier than planned to focus on 'enemy movements'. Israeli Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer and Mossad head David Barnea will travel to Oman to meet U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff ahead of the U.S.-Iranian talks in another bid to clarify Israel's position, Israeli media reported on Thursday. The decision by Trump to remove some personnel from the region comes at a brittle and highly sensitive juncture in the oil-producing Middle East, where security has already been destabilised by the Gaza war between Israel and Palestinian militant group Hamas that began in October 2023. Oil prices initially rose after Trump's announcement but later eased. Foreign energy companies were continuing their operations as usual, a senior Iraqi official overseeing operations in southern oilfields told Reuters on Thursday. The U.S. Embassy in Baghdad advised American citizens on Thursday against travelling to Iraq, Iran's western neighbour. Foreign energy firms continue to operate normally in Iraq, a senior Iraqi official told Reuters. Bahrain's state oil firm Bapco Energies is monitoring the situation in the region and its operations are unaffected, it said on Thursday, after dependents of U.S. military personnel were advised to leave the country because of regional tensions.
Daily Maverick
an hour ago
- Daily Maverick
Climate and development finance in a post-aid world — the case for country platforms
Country platforms, one of the most promising innovations in climate and development finance architecture, offer African countries the opportunity to take ownership of their climate and development futures – on their own terms. Anyone who has visited Cape Town may well have noticed the strange and mystifying sight of its unfinished, raised freeway. As you head towards the popular tourist destination at the Waterfront, one blunt end is clearly visible above you. Half a kilometre away, the other end hangs teasingly against the famous Table Mountain backdrop. These two ends, which were clearly badly askew and never going to meet – and hence the abandonment of the project – represent the perfect metaphor for international climate finance. The supply side lacks volume and the demand is too weak. They need a buckle to pull them together – and one that convinces asset managers and institutional investors throughout the world to pay attention to African investment opportunities. Talk of the town With the Trump administration slashing US Agency for International Development budgets and European nations shifting overseas development aid budgets to bolster defence spending, the world has entered a ' post-aid era '. But there is an opportunity to recast development finance as strategic investment: ' country platforms.' Country platforms are government-led, nationally owned mechanisms that bring together a country's climate priorities, investment needs and reform agenda, and align them with the interests of development partners, private investors and implementing agencies. They function as a strategic hub: convening actors, coordinating funding and curating pipelines of projects for investment. Think of them as the opposite of donor-driven fragmentation. Instead of dozens of disconnected projects driven by external priorities, a country platform enables governments to set the agenda and direct finance to where it is needed most. That could be renewable energy, climate-smart agriculture, resilient infrastructure or nature-based solutions. Country platforms are a current fad. They were the talk of the town at the 2025 Spring meetings of multilateral development banks in Washington, DC. Will they quickly fade as the next big new idea comes into view? Or can they escape the limitations and failings of the finance and development aid ecosystem? The Independent High Level Expert Group on Climate Finance, on which I serve, is striving to find new ways to ramp up finance – both public and private – in quality and quantity. I agree with those who argue that country platforms could be the innovation that unlocks the capital urgently needed to tackle climate overshoot and buttress economic development. The model is already being tested. More than 10 countries have launched their platforms, and more are in the pipeline. For African countries, the opportunity could not be more timely. African governments are racing to deliver their Nationally Determined Contributions. These are the commitments they've made to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions as part of climate change mitigation targets set out in the Paris Agreement. Implementing these plans is often being done under severe fiscal constraints. At the same time global capital is looking for investment opportunities. But it needs to be convinced that the rewards will outweigh the risks. Where it's being tested In Africa, South Africa's Just Energy Transition Partnership has demonstrated both the potential and the complexity of a country platform. Egypt and Senegal also have country platforms at different stages of implementation. Kenya and Nigeria are exploring similar mechanisms. The African Union's Climate Change and Resilient Development Strategy calls for country platforms across the continent. New entrants can learn from countries that started first. But country platforms come in different shapes and sizes according to the context. Another promising example is emerging through Mission 300, an initiative of the World Bank and African Development Bank, working with partners like the Rockefeller Foundation, Global Energy Alliance for People and Planet, and Sustainable Energy for All. It aims to connect 300 million people to clean electricity by 2030. Central to this initiative are Compact Delivery and Monitoring Units. These are essentially country platforms anchored in electrification. They reflect how a well-structured country platform can make an impact. Twelve African countries are already moving in this direction. All announced their Mission 300 compacts at the Africa Heads of State Summit in Tanzania. This growing cohort reflects a continental commitment to putting energy-driven country platforms at the heart of Africa's development architecture. Why now – and why Africa? A well-functioning country platform can help in a number of ways. First, it can give the political and economic leadership a clear goal. The platform can survive elections and show stability, certainty and transparency to the investment world. Second, national ownership and strategic alignment can reduce risk and build confidence. That would encourage investment. Third, it builds trust among development partners and investors through clear priorities, transparency and national ownership. Fourth, it moves beyond isolated pilot projects to system-level transformation – meaning structural change. The transition in one sector, energy for example, creates new value chains that create more, better and safer jobs. Country platforms put African governments in charge of their own economic development, not as passive recipients of climate finance. The country sets its investment priorities and then the match-making with international climate finance can begin. Making it work: what's needed Developing the data on which a country bases its investment and development plans, and blending those with the fiscal, climate and nature data, is complex. For this reason country platforms require investment in institutional capacity, cross-ministerial collaboration and strong coordination between finance ministries, environment agencies and economic planners. And especially, in leadership capability. African countries must take charge of this capacity and capability acceleration. Second, development partners can respond by providing money as well as supporting African leadership, aligning with national strategies, and being willing to co-design mechanisms that meet both investor expectations and local realities. Capacity is especially crucial given the scale of Africa's needs. According to the African Development Bank, Africa will require more than $200-billion annually by 2030 to meet its climate goals. Donor aid will provide only a fraction of this. It will require smart, coordinated investment and careful debt management. Country platforms provide the structure to govern the process. Seizing the opportunity Country platforms represent one of the most promising innovations in climate and development finance architecture. Properly designed and led, they offer African countries the opportunity to take ownership of their climate and development futures – on their own terms. Country platforms could be the 'buckle' that finally enables the supply and demand sides of climate finance to come together. It will require commitment, strategic and technical capability, and, above all, smart leadership. DM
