The U.S. Secretary of Army and the Secretary of Defense "are open to a bi-partisan discussion on the topic" of renaming bases and facilities named after Confederate leaders, Politico reported on June 8. The statement followed a public acknowledgement by Army leadership of the "frustration and anger" touched off by the wave of protests following the killing of George Floyd.
As recently as February, the Army had stated that there were no plans to change any facility names memorializing Confederate soldiers. In years past military leaders had argued that the naming reflected a spirit of reconciliation.