Pete Hegseth
Pete Hegseth Latin Times

Pete Hegseth, who President-elect Donald Trump tapped to be his Secretary of Defense, has repeatedly called for the restoration of the names of U.S. military bases that honored Confederate generals, according to a report.

Hegseth, a combat veteran and former Fox News host, is expected to face sharp questioning during confirmation hearings that begin in front of a Senate committee on Tuesday.

He has specifically cited Fort Liberty in North Carolina. During multiple interviews and appearances he has called for it to be changed back to Fort Bragg, CNN reported.

"We should change it back, because legacy matters," the outlet quoted Hegseth as saying last June.

The base was named in honor of Gen. Braxton Bragg. The Army claims it was in honor of his artillery actions during the Mexican-American War but Bragg later quit the U.S. Army and joined the Confederate States of America during the Civil War.

The slave owner was defeated at Chattanooga, according to Battlefields.org but continued to serve in the Confederate army until he was captured in Georgia in May of 1863.

The U.S. Government confiscated Bragg's war and he relocated to Alabama following his parole in 1865. He died in 1876 but remained a folk hero in North Carolina.

Local officials picked the name when the Army base was commissioned.

"It's pretty rare for the country to have a major military installation named for somebody who fought against that country," historian Dr. William Sturkey told WTVD-TV. "It was the Confederacy against the United States of America. He was killing American troops."

Hegseth can advocate for the bases to be changed back to their original names but it would have to be approved by Congress.

The military base names is not the only controversy that Hegseth is expected to be questioned about in the Senate hearings. He has previously spoken out against women serving in the military and gay service members to serve openly.

He has other questionable moments in his background including an alleged affair and reportedly chanting "kill all Muslims" in front of a veterans group.

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