Army ‘open’ to changing names of military bases named after Confederate generals amid Black Lives Matter protests

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The US army is now “open” to the idea of renaming its bases that are named after Confederate leaders, amid Black Lives Matter protests, following the death of George Floyd.

In February, after the US Marine Corps said that it planned to ban images of Confederate flags at its installations, the Army said it had no plans to rename its bases.

At the time, an Army spokesperson told Task and Purpose: “It is important to note that the naming of installations and streets was done in a spirit of reconciliation, not to demonstrate support for any particular cause or ideology.”

They added: “The Army has a tradition of naming installations and streets after historical figures of military significance, including former Union and Confederate general officers.”

However, an Army spokesperson told Politico on Monday, that Army secretary Ryan McCarthy is now “open” to the idea of renaming the 10 bases that are named after Confederate leaders.

The spokesperson added that defence secretary Mark Esper also supports a discussion on renaming the bases.

Monuments to Confederate officials, that were erected following the Confederacy’s defeat, have been graffitied by demonstrators, with the words “Black Lives Matter,” following the death of Mr Floyd.

Protests have taken place across the US, following the death of Mr Floyd, who died after his neck was knelt on by Derek Chauvin, who at the time was a Minneapolis police officer, but has now been charged with second degree murder and manslaughter.

A few monuments to Confederate officials have also been removed in the past few days, and a statue of confederate officer John B Castleman was taken down by the city of Louisville on Monday and moved to Cave Hill Cemetery, where he is buried.

The city’s decision came after a statue of Confederate general, Williams Carter Wickham, was toppled by the public in Richmond, Virginia, and a statue of segregationist mayor Orville Hubbard was removed from the Dearborn Historical Museum in Michigan.

The Marine Corps, who previously announced their intent to ban all images of the Confederate flag from their bases, officially ordered the removal of them last week.

“The Confederate battle flag has all too often been co-opted by violent extremist and racist groups whose divisive beliefs have no place in our Corps,” the service branch said in a statement.

“Our history as a nation, and events like the violence in Charlottesville in 2017, highlight the divisiveness the use of the Confederate battle flag.”

An Army official told Politico that a renewed discussion on the names was prompted by the protests, taking place all over the US.

The Army official said that the last two weeks has “made us start looking more at ourselves and the things that we do and how that is communicated to the force as well as the American public.”

The official’s statement was echoed by Army spokesperson, colonel Sunset Belinsky, who released a statement on Monday, that said: “The secretary of defence and secretary of the Army are open to a bi-partisan discussion on the topic.”