Former Defense Secretary Robert Gates on Sunday said the “time has come” to rename U.S. military bases named after Confederate officers amid a nationwide reckoning on systemic racism and police brutality.
Gates, who served under Presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama, told NBC’s “Meet The Press” that some of the 10 U.S. Army installations named for Confederates should be renamed for Black Medal of Honor recipients.
Asked if he agreed with the push to remove the Confederate names from the bases — as well as banning Confederate paraphernalia in the Marines — Gates said “opportunities” to do so have been presented.
Defense Secretary Mark Esper and Army Secretary Ryan McCarthy said through a spokesperson last week that they are “open to a bipartisan discussion” about potentially stripping the military installations of their Confederate names.
In a Trump-defying move, the Republican-led Senate Armed Services Committee on Wednesday voted to require the Pentagon to remove Confederate names, monuments and symbols from military bases and equipment within three years.
