New Commission on Renaming Army Bases Gets Early Makeover

A new commission created to relabel U.S. Army bases named for Confederate leaders has quietly undergone a major shakeup as the Biden administration has replaced last-minute Trump appointees with a diverse panel.

Driving the news: The eight-member commission established in a bill last year, after George Floyd's death brought attention to systemic racism, will include the first African American woman to command a U.S. Navy ship and a retired West Point historian who has compared the Confederacy to treason.

• Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, the first Black American to hold the position, last month replaced four appointees assigned by the Trump administration. The new members are expected to approach the task with a critical eye toward the past and an emphasis on racial and ethnic diversity.
• The law that authorized the commission tasked House and Senate Democrats and Republicans with appointing half the members, and the Department of Defense with designating the other half.

The details: The Biden administration's selections include Michelle Howard, the highest-ranking African American and woman in U.S. Navy history, and Ty Seidule, a retired U.S. Army brigadier general and historian.