Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has directed the restoration of the original names of several U.S. military bases, reversing previous changes that replaced Confederate-associated names. During a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing, Hegseth emphasized that the renaming was not intended to erase history but to honor the original namesakes. This decision has drawn criticism from senators such as Tim Kaine and Angus King, who questioned the appropriateness of reverting to names linked to figures who fought for the Confederacy. Meanwhile, the House Armed Services Committee (HASC) has been actively progressing through the Fiscal Year 2026 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), approving various subcommittee marks including Strategic Forces, Intelligence, and Special Operations. The committee debated amendments related to Ukraine aid, with a proposal to add $100 million to the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative, raising total aid in the NDAA to $400 million. A notable development was the approval of an amendment led by Representative Marilyn Strickland to prevent the Department of Defense from reversing the recommendations of the commission responsible for removing Confederate names from bases. This amendment passed narrowly with bipartisan support. The full House Armed Services Committee approved the FY26 NDAA with a vote of 55-2, with only Democrats Ro Khanna and Sara Jacobs opposing. Both the House and Senate Armed Services Committees have now approved their initial drafts of the annual defense authorization bill.