President Donald Trump has ordered the restoration of Confederate generals’ names to several military installations, effectively reversing changes implemented during the Biden administration.

Speaking at Fort Bragg in North Carolina, Trump declared that bases such as Fort Pickett, Fort Hood, and Fort Rucker would revert to their original designations. These military facilities, situated primarily across southern states, were initially named to commemorate Confederate military figures.

The directive contradicts a congressional mandate established five years ago. That legislation, which Trump had previously vetoed, required the removal of these Confederate-linked names from military properties.

Back in the winter of 2020, Trump rejected a national defense spending bill with specific provisions regarding base renaming. He maintained that such changes represented a politically motivated effort to erase history and diminish American heritage.

“Over the course of United States history, these locations have taken on significance to the American story and those who have helped write it that far transcends their namesakes,” Trump said during the announcement.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has already begun implementing the president’s instructions. Earlier this month, Hegseth ordered Fort Bragg’s name restoration, though with a modification such that the base now honors Private First Class Roland L. Bragg, a veteran of World War II.

This maneuver has not been unnoticed on Capitol Hill. Senator Jack Reed, a Democrat from Rhode Island and the ranking member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, criticized the approach, noting that Hegseth “has not violated the letter of the law, but he has violated its spirit.”

The reinstatement of these historical designations highlights ongoing tensions and conflict regarding historical commemoration in America, particularly how federal mandates might shape military traditions.