Name and Status Timeline
The Complete History of U.S. Military Base Renaming and Closures
A curated, sourced tracker of major installation renames, Naming Commission redesignations, later redesignations, BRAC actions, and closures—built for reporters and historians who need one place to check when a name or status changed.
This v1 corpus covers 12 installations and 24 verified events (last verified 2026-07-31). It is not every U.S. base that ever changed names—entries are added only when official documentation can be cited.
Base names and official statuses can change. Always confirm against Army.mil, Defense.gov, BRAC commission reports, and installation public affairs before publishing.
Current timeline name, operational status, and directory link.
California · Formerly: Naval Weapons Station Concord; Military Ocean Terminal Concord (related site)
Verified 2026-07-31
Virginia · Formerly: Fort Walker; Fort A.P. Hill (A.P. Hill namesake)
Verified 2026-07-31
Georgia · Formerly: Fort Moore; Fort Benning (Henry L. Benning namesake)
Verified 2026-07-31
North Carolina · Formerly: Fort Liberty; Fort Bragg (Braxton Bragg namesake)
Verified 2026-07-31
Georgia · Formerly: Fort Eisenhower; Fort Gordon (John Brown Gordon namesake)
Verified 2026-07-31
Texas · Formerly: Fort Cavazos; Fort Hood (John Bell Hood namesake)
Verified 2026-07-31
Virginia · Formerly: Fort Gregg-Adams; Fort Lee (Robert E. Lee namesake)
Verified 2026-07-31
Virginia · Formerly: Fort Barfoot; Fort Pickett (George Pickett namesake)
Verified 2026-07-31
Louisiana · Formerly: Fort Johnson; Fort Polk (Leonidas Polk namesake)
Verified 2026-07-31
Alabama · Formerly: Fort Novosel; Fort Rucker (Edmund Rucker namesake)
Verified 2026-07-31
Puerto Rico · Formerly: Naval Station Roosevelt Roads
Verified 2026-07-31
Naming Commission redesignations and later official redesignations, newest first.
| Date | Installation | Change | Reason | Docs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 10, 2025 Rename | Fort A.P. Hill Virginia | Fort Walker → Fort A.P. Hill | Army redesignation announced June 10, 2025, honoring Hill, Pinn, and Anderson | Source |
| Jun 10, 2025 Rename | Fort Gordon Georgia | Fort Eisenhower → Fort Gordon | Army redesignation announced June 10, 2025, honoring Master Sgt. Gary I. Gordon | Source |
| Jun 10, 2025 Rename | Fort Hood Texas | Fort Cavazos → Fort Hood | Army redesignation announced June 10, 2025, honoring Col. Robert B. Hood | Source |
| Jun 10, 2025 Rename | Fort Lee Virginia | Fort Gregg-Adams → Fort Lee | Army redesignation announced June 10, 2025, honoring Pvt. Fitz Lee | Source |
| Jun 10, 2025 Rename | Fort Pickett Virginia | Fort Barfoot → Fort Pickett | Army redesignation announced June 10, 2025, honoring 1st Lt. Vernon W. Pickett | Source |
| Jun 10, 2025 Rename | Fort Polk Louisiana | Fort Johnson → Fort Polk | Army redesignation announced June 10, 2025, honoring Gen. James H. Polk | Source |
| Jun 10, 2025 Rename | Fort Rucker Alabama | Fort Novosel → Fort Rucker | Army redesignation announced June 10, 2025, honoring Capt. Edward W. Rucker | Source |
| Mar 7, 2025 Rename | Fort Bragg North Carolina | Fort Liberty → Fort Bragg | Secretary of Defense redesignation (10 U.S.C. §113) honoring Pfc. Roland L. Bragg | Source |
| Mar 3, 2025 Rename | Fort Benning Georgia | Fort Moore → Fort Benning | Secretary of Defense redesignation (10 U.S.C. §113) honoring Cpl. Fred G. Benning | Source |
| Oct 27, 2023 Rename | Fort Gordon Georgia | Fort Gordon → Fort Eisenhower | Naming Commission / FY2021 NDAA Section 370 implementation | Source |
| Aug 25, 2023 Rename | Fort A.P. Hill Virginia | Fort A.P. Hill → Fort Walker | Naming Commission / FY2021 NDAA Section 370 implementation | Source |
| Jun 13, 2023 Rename | Fort Polk Louisiana | Fort Polk → Fort Johnson | Naming Commission / FY2021 NDAA Section 370 implementation | Source |
| Jun 2, 2023 Rename | Fort Bragg North Carolina | Fort Bragg → Fort Liberty | Naming Commission / FY2021 NDAA Section 370 implementation | Source |
| May 11, 2023 Rename | Fort Benning Georgia | Fort Benning → Fort Moore | Naming Commission / FY2021 NDAA Section 370 implementation | Source |
| May 9, 2023 Rename | Fort Hood Texas | Fort Hood → Fort Cavazos | Naming Commission / FY2021 NDAA Section 370 implementation | Source |
| Apr 27, 2023 Rename | Fort Lee Virginia | Fort Lee → Fort Gregg-Adams | Naming Commission / FY2021 NDAA Section 370 implementation | Source |
| Apr 10, 2023 Rename | Fort Rucker Alabama | Fort Rucker → Fort Novosel | Naming Commission / FY2021 NDAA Section 370 implementation | Source |
| Mar 24, 2023 Rename | Fort Pickett Virginia | Fort Pickett → Fort Barfoot | Naming Commission / FY2021 NDAA Section 370 implementation | Source |
Base Realignment and Closure recommendations and related actions in this curated set.
| Date | Installation | Change | Reason | Docs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 BRAC · BRAC 2005 | Det Concord (BRAC) California | BRAC 2005 realignment / closure actions | BRAC 2005 realignment and closure recommendations | Source |
| 2003 BRAC · BRAC 2005 | Roosevelt Roads Naval Station Puerto Rico | Closure directed (BRAC-era Navy realignment) | Navy / BRAC-era realignment and closure | Source |
| 1995 BRAC · BRAC 1995 | Fort McClellan Alabama | Selected for closure under BRAC 1995 | BRAC 1995 closure recommendation | Source |
Closure dates and post-BRAC status updates for former installations.
| Date | Installation | Change | Reason | Docs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 Status change · BRAC 2005 | Det Concord (BRAC) California | Former Navy weapons station status | BRAC 2005 implementation | Source |
| Mar 31, 2004 Closure | Roosevelt Roads Naval Station Puerto Rico | Naval Station Roosevelt Roads closed | Navy base closure implementation | Source |
| 1999 Closure · BRAC 1995 | Fort McClellan Alabama | Installation closed | BRAC 1995 closure implementation | Source |
Sources: each event requires at least one official document URL (Army.mil, Defense.gov releases/memoranda, or DoD BRAC archives). Wikipedia is not used as a source of truth.
Canonical slugs: timeline records join the directory by slug. Fort Bragg/Liberty and Fort Benning/Moore alias to a single canonical record. Some 2025 restored names still use Naming Commission directory slugs until the seed file is synced.
Limitations: mission-change blurbs are omitted unless a clear official source exists. Inactive NTAD sites are not bulk-imported.
How this curated tracker is scoped and how to verify changes.
Is this a complete history of every U.S. base rename and closure?
No. This is a curated, sourced tracker focused on high-impact Naming Commission redesignations, later 2025 redesignations, and selected BRAC closures. It is expanded carefully as official documentation is verified.
Why do some directory page titles still use a former name?
The installation directory seed and this timeline are maintained separately so NTAD sync does not overwrite curated history. Timeline current names reflect the latest verified official redesignation; seed titles may lag until the next directory sync.
How should reporters verify a name or status change?
Use the official documents linked on each timeline event (Army.mil articles, DoD releases, BRAC reports). Installation names and statuses can change; always confirm against primary sources before publication.
When was this curated corpus last verified?
Timeline entries in this release were last verified on 2026-07-31. Each installation record also carries its own lastVerifiedAt date.