Pentagon Moves Forward With Renaming of Bases Named After Confederate Leaders

The Pentagon announced Friday it is moving forward with plans to rename military bases named after Confederate leaders by appointing four members to lead the effort.

Acting Defense Secretary Christopher Miller has appointed Sean McLean, a White House associate director, Joshua Whitehouse, a White House liaison to the Defense Department, Ann Johnston, acting assistant secretary of defense for Legislative Affairs, and Earl Matthews, who is principal deputy general counsel for the Army.

The four will serve on the ponderously-named 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.

The commission is mandated under a $740 billion defense policy bill that went into effect when Congress voted on New Year’s Day to override Trump’s veto.

President Trump has argued in the past that stripping Confederate names from military bases means washing away history. Meanwhile, President-elect Biden supports removing the names.