When will Fort Liberty become Fort Bragg and how much will it cost? Here's what we know
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Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth ordered the renaming of Fort Liberty back to Fort Bragg, honoring Pfc. Roland L. Bragg, a World War II veteran.
The name change will likely require additional funding from Congress, with costs for the previous renaming exceeding $6 million.
While the timeline remains unclear, the Army will need to present its implementation plans, including resource requirements, to the Department of Defense.
The timeline for renaming Fort Liberty to Fort Bragg was unknown as of Tuesday, and the costs associated with the process could exceed $6 million.
The Department of Defense announced Monday evening that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth signed a memo to change Fort Liberty's name to Fort Bragg to honor Pfc. Roland L. Bragg, who served locally.
Fort Bragg was established as Camp Bragg in 1918 — after World War I — and was initially named for Braxton Bragg, an artillery officer who served in the Mexican-American War and later served as a Confederate general. He is also associated with being a slave owner and losing battles during the Civil War.
The installation is the largest in the world by population and home to the Army's airborne and special operation forces and the nation's immediate response force that deploys worldwide within 18 hours of notification.
In June 2023, the installation's name was changed to Fort Liberty, after a congressional mandate ordered that all military installations and assets named for Confederates be renamed. The renaming process involved a national and local committee and community input.
Hegseth's Monday night memo states that the secretary of the Army shall take all the necessary steps and appropriate actions to implement the directive in accordance with applicable laws and regulations.
The Army shall inform the undersecretary of defense for acquisition and sustainment of its plans, including timelines and resource requirements to implement the change, the memo continues.
What do military officials have to say?
The Office of the Secretary of Defense on Tuesday referred questions about the changes to the Department of the Army.
A spokesperson for the 18th Airborne Corps and Fort Liberty also referred most questions to the Army.
A statement from the 18th Airborne Corps says that renaming Fort Liberty to Fort Bragg is an opportunity to honor one of the Corps' 'own heroes.'
Who is Pfc. Roland L. Bragg?
According to Hegseth's memo, Pfc. Roland L. Bragg was assigned to the 513th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 17th Airborne Division, 18th Airborne Corps and was stationed at Fort Bragg during World War II.
He served in the European theater of operations, received a Purple Heart for wounds during the Battle of the Bulge and also earned the Silver Star, the memo states.
'We are honored to have our installation in his namesake,' the 18th Airborne Corps statement reads. 'We have already begun coordinating with Department of the Army on the way forward. More details will be forthcoming.'
As of Tuesday, the name Fort Liberty remained on the installation's website and social media pages.
How much will renaming cost?
Renaming Fort Bragg to Fort Liberty cost more than $6 million in federal funds, with the bulk of the costs being sign changes and technology costs for the installation's website.
In a statement Tuesday, North Carolina Department of Transportation spokesman Andrew Barksdale said the cost to change about 80 state highway and interstate signs from Fort Bragg to Fort Liberty cost about $160,000.
The former signs were recycled, he said.
Barksdale said that with expansions to Interstate 95, the cost to make a change again would be about $200,000 to the state agency.
'We do not have a timeline of when we would make the changes again, and we would still work and coordinate with the DOD about the costs for making these changes again,' he said.
Is Hegseth legally allowed to issue the name change order?
In a video statement posted on X, formerly known as Twitter, on Monday, Hegseth said he directed the name change based on Title 10 and Section 113 of the U.S. code.
The code states that the secretary of defense 'has authority, direction, and control over the Department of Defense.'
The directive will ultimately require money to implement the name change, and Congress is in charge of the budget, Dr. Christopher Cronin, a political science professor for Methodist University and head of the university's Social Sciences Division, told The Fayetteville Observer in November.
The Army usually starts making its annual budget requests to Congress in March to early spring.
The same code that Hegseth cited Monday also includes Congress' 2021 provision in the defense budget that required removing military assets that honor the Confederacy and its leaders.
The legislation further prohibits the secretary of defense or secretary of a military department from naming a new asset or renaming an existing asset in honor of the Confederacy, which is why a new Fort Bragg would be in honor of Roland Bragg and not Braxton Bragg.
Staff writer Rachael Riley can be reached at rriley@fayobserver.com or 910-486-3528.
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