Morning Brief: Trump Orders Reinstatement of Confederate-Era Army Base Names, US Allies Sanction Far-Right Israeli Ministers Over West Bank Violence

Get up to speed with SOFREP’s Morning Brief, your daily rundown of key developments in defense and global affairs for June 11, 2025. President Trump has reinstated Confederate-era base names, reversing recent renaming tied to racial justice reforms. In Los Angeles, city officials imposed a downtown curfew after protests erupted over immigration raids and a controversial military deployment. Meanwhile, the Trump administration moved to revoke national monument protections to open more land to energy projects. On the international front, US allies sanctioned far-right Israeli ministers over West Bank violence, and Israel struck Houthi targets in Yemen following new missile attacks. Denmark is investing $919 million in air defenses amid rising Russian threats, while the UN warned that Myanmar is on the brink of collapse without an end to its civil war. Finally, US-China trade talks in London yielded a deal to stabilize their fragile tariff truce.

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Trump Orders Reinstatement of Confederate-Era Army Base Names, Scraps Recent Renamings

President Donald Trump announced Tuesday that all US Army bases renamed in recent years to distance the military from Confederate ties will revert to their original names. Speaking at Fort Bragg, Trump said, “We won a lot of battles out of those forts. It’s no time to change, and I’m superstitious — we want to keep it going.”

The move reverses 2023 reforms enacted after a congressional review directed the Army to replace nine base names honoring Confederate leaders. Many were renamed after US war heroes, such as Medal of Honor recipients and military advocates.

For example, Fort Moore honored Vietnam War hero Lt. Gen. Hal Moore and his wife, Julia, while Fort A.P. Hill was renamed for Union surgeon Mary Edwards Walker.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth led the reversal, restoring names like Fort Bragg and Fort Benning, while also selecting alternate honorees to maintain some distinction from the original Confederate figures.

Trump’s administration further rolled back symbolic changes by removing the name of gay rights icon Harvey Milk from a Navy ship and considering changes to ships named after Thurgood Marshall, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, and Harriet Tubman.

The updated base names and honorees include:

• Fort Pickett (was Fort Barfoot) → 1st Lt. Vernon W. Pickett, WWII hero.
• Fort Hood (was Fort Cavazos) → Col. Robert B. Hood, WWI artillery officer.
• Fort Gordon (was Fort Eisenhower) → MSG Gary I. Gordon, MOH recipient in Mogadishu.
• Fort Lee (was Fort Gregg-Adams) → Pvt. Fitz Lee, MOH recipient, Spanish-American War.
• Fort Polk (was Fort Johnson) → Gen. James H. Polk, WWII cavalry commander.
• Fort Rucker (was Fort Novosel) → Capt. Edward W. Rucker, WWI aviator.
• Fort Anderson-Pinn-Hill (was Fort Walker) → Union MOH recipients Hill, Pinn, and Anderson.

The restoration represents a dramatic policy shift and has sparked debate over how the military should reconcile its history and identity.

Los Angeles Imposes Downtown Curfew as Tensions Rise Over Trump’s Immigration Crackdown and Military Deployment

Los Angeles officials imposed a downtown curfew Tuesday night following five days of escalating protests against President Donald Trump’s aggressive immigration enforcement and troop deployments.

The move comes as Trump activated over 4,000 National Guard troops and 700 Marines to support federal agents, a decision made over objections from California Governor Gavin Newsom and city leaders.

Governor Newsom filed an emergency court request to halt military assistance to federal immigration operations, calling the move a “military dragnet.” A judge delayed ruling until Thursday, allowing troop activity to continue in the meantime.

The deployment shifts the Guard closer to participating in enforcement actions, although they’re limited to detaining those attacking officers. Most troops remain stationed around federal buildings, with no confirmed Marine sightings in Los Angeles.

Mayor Karen Bass declared a local emergency and enforced an 8 p.m. to 6 a.m. (local time) curfew across a 1-square-mile section of downtown after 23 businesses were looted. LAPD Chief Jim McDonnell cited rising “unlawful and dangerous behavior,” including freeway blockages and Molotov cocktail attacks.

BREAKING: Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass announced a curfew will take effect in part of downtown Los Angeles beginning at 8 p.m. local time on Tuesday night.

Follow live updates: https://t.co/cRL3BCucCV pic.twitter.com/ULmUDiDBKp

— ABC News (@ABC) June 11, 2025

Police made 197 arrests Tuesday, mostly for failure to disperse.

Protests have spread to other cities, including New York and Chicago. In Texas, National Guard troops were deployed to San Antonio, with others on standby statewide.

Trump hinted at invoking the Insurrection Act to deploy active-duty troops against domestic unrest and labeled protesters “animals” and a “foreign enemy” during a speech at Fort Bragg. Newsom condemned Trump’s actions as an “assault on democracy” and warned that other states could face similar federal crackdowns.

Despite the unrest, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) continues conducting immigration raids across Los Angeles County, prompting schools to increase graduation security and offer remote viewing for parents concerned about enforcement.

“We will liberate Los Angeles and make it free, clean, and safe again,” says President Trump, declaring “this anarchy will not stand” as he addresses the LA riots during a US Army anniversary event in Fort Bragg.https://t.co/YMeUUKr0IS

📺 Sky 501, Freeview 233 and YouTube pic.twitter.com/uMot1LXEBb

— Sky News (@SkyNews) June 10, 2025

The Pentagon said the deployment costs $134 million. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth suggested the use of domestic troops will likely expand further under the administration’s homeland security priorities.

Trump Administration Asserts Power to Revoke National Monuments in Bid to Boost Energy Development

The Trump administration has declared that presidents have the legal authority to abolish national monuments designated by their predecessors, reversing a longstanding Justice Department position that such protections are permanent under the Antiquities Act of 1906.

The opinion, released Tuesday, directly targets monuments established by President Joe Biden, including California’s Chuckwalla and Sáttítla Highlands National Monuments.

The Justice Department’s new stance nullifies a 1938 opinion that presidents lack power to revoke prior monument designations. It comes as the Interior Department continues to review monument protections nationwide, with a focus on facilitating oil, gas, and mineral development on federal lands.

The Chuckwalla Monument protects 624,000 acres of ecologically sensitive desert in Southern California, while the 225,000-acre Sáttítla Highlands Monument covers the ancestral lands of the Pit River Tribe and Modoc Peoples in Northern California. Both sites were created during Biden’s final months in office and ban energy extraction and mining activities.

President Donald Trump has the authority to entirely abolish protected areas set aside as national monuments by past presidents, according to a legal opinion released by the Department of Justice. https://t.co/k9nKpE4avK

— The Washington Post (@washingtonpost) June 10, 2025

Deputy Assistant Attorney General Lanora Pettit argued that Biden’s monument designations were driven by a desire to expand recreational access, not preserve scientific or historical value, and therefore exceed the scope of the Antiquities Act.

Sen. Martin Heinrich (D-NM) criticized the move as a “path to erase national monuments.” Conservationists warned that the opinion lacks legal standing and undermines bipartisan public support for public land protections.

Trump previously slashed the boundaries of Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante monuments in Utah, but Biden reversed those cuts upon taking office. Trump also lifted fishing bans in the Pacific Ocean’s Papahānaumokuākea Marine Monument created under Obama.

Environmental groups, including The Wilderness Society, vowed to challenge any future reductions, citing the Antiquities Act’s original intent to safeguard sites of cultural, historical, or scientific importance. Legal battles over past reductions remain unresolved in federal court.

US Allies Sanction Far-Right Israeli Ministers Over West Bank Violence

Britain, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and Norway imposed coordinated sanctions Tuesday on Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, accusing them of inciting extremist settler violence and promoting the forced displacement of Palestinians in the West Bank.

The sanctions—asset freezes and travel bans—mark an unprecedented move by Western allies of Israel.

The five countries condemned the ministers’ rhetoric and actions as dangerously undermining peace prospects and fueling human rights abuses amid a surge in violence since Hamas’ October 2023 attack on Israel.

Foreign ministers from the sanctioning nations emphasized the measures target individuals—not the Israeli state or its people.

UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy said the two ministers had been “encouraging egregious abuses of human rights,” while New Zealand’s Foreign Minister Winston Peters called them a “severe threat” to peace and stability.

Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Norway and the UK have today taken concrete measures against Bezalel Smotrich and Itamar Ben-Gvir, in response to the incitement of serious violence in the West Bank. pic.twitter.com/WgSNbbFr0X

— Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (@FCDOGovUK) June 10, 2025

Both Ben-Gvir and Smotrich rejected the sanctions. Smotrich responded while inaugurating a new West Bank settlement, stating Israel would “continue building.” Ben-Gvir dismissed the move as foreign interference.

Israel’s government condemned the sanctions. Foreign Minister Gideon Saar called them “outrageous,” warning they may harden Hamas’ position in ongoing ceasefire negotiations. Centrist lawmaker Benny Gantz, though critical of the ministers, said sanctioning Israeli officials set a dangerous precedent.

This rebuke adds to mounting international backlash against Israel’s war campaign in Gaza, which has resulted in over 54,000 Palestinian deaths, according to Gaza health officials. The move also follows the International Criminal Court’s request for an arrest warrant against Prime Minister Netanyahu over alleged war crimes.

Israeli human rights group B’Tselem condemned Israel’s plan of 22 new Jewish settlements in the occupied West Bank https://t.co/PB76JOAbPW pic.twitter.com/VmhkSavrrI

— Reuters (@Reuters) May 31, 2025

Human rights lawyer Eitay Mack called the sanctions “historic,” signaling a shift in international tolerance for Israel’s far-right leadership and hinting Netanyahu could face similar scrutiny.

The settlements, now home to over 500,000 Israelis, are widely viewed as illegal under international law and remain a central obstacle to the two-state solution long endorsed by global powers.

Israel Strikes Houthi-Held Yemeni Port After Missile Launch Toward Its Territory

Israeli naval forces struck Houthi-controlled targets in the Yemeni port of Hodeida on Tuesday in response to continued missile threats from the Iran-backed rebel group.

The Israeli military said it targeted “terror infrastructure” to halt the port’s use for weapons transfers, claiming the port served military purposes.

Shortly after the strike, Israeli air defense systems detected a missile launch from Yemen. Sirens sounded across parts of Israel, including Jerusalem, and loud booms consistent with aerial interceptions were reported.

Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree claimed responsibility, stating the group fired two ballistic missiles at Israel’s main airport.

Israeli Navy Sa’ar 6-class corvettes fired two long-range guided missiles at Yemen’s Hodeida port this morning, striking Houthi weapons-smuggling infrastructure from hundreds of kilometers away, the IDF says.

The military has hit the Houthi-controlled port multiple times over… https://t.co/Jf2iYpFcj6 pic.twitter.com/sybpgdeUET

— Open Source Intel (@Osint613) June 10, 2025

Al-Masirah, the Houthi-run TV outlet, confirmed the Israeli strikes on the Hodeida docks.

Defense Minister Israel Katz warned the Houthis of further retaliation, including the potential for a full naval and aerial blockade. Israeli military spokesman Avichay Adraee urged civilians to evacuate Houthi-controlled ports for safety.

Since the Gaza war began in October 2023, the Houthis have regularly targeted Israel with drones and missiles, pausing only during a two-month ceasefire. Israeli air defenses have intercepted most of the projectiles, though one missile in May landed within Ben Gurion Airport, injuring several.

Israel has also struck other strategic Houthi assets, including Sanaa airport, and vowed to target Houthi leadership directly if attacks continue. The broader Houthi conflict, ongoing since 2015 against a Saudi-led coalition, has subsided since a 2022 UN-brokered truce but remains volatile.

Denmark Buys $919M in Air Defense Systems Amid Rising Russian Threat

Denmark will acquire short-range ground-based air defense systems from France, Germany, and Norway to protect civilians, military sites, and key infrastructure, the Danish defense ministry announced Tuesday.

The purchase, worth over six billion kroner ($919 million), includes systems from Germany’s Diehl Defense and MBDA France, and leased equipment from Norway’s Kongsberg.

Defense Minister Troels Lund Poulsen said the systems will be strategically deployed across Denmark and begin phasing into operation between late 2025 and early 2027.

The move is part of a broader response to increased aerial threats, particularly from Russia.

The acquisition follows Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen’s February pledge to ramp up defense spending by 50 billion kroner ($7 billion) over two years.

Frederiksen emphasized the need to “buy, buy, buy” to meet urgent national security demands.

@forsvaretdk hasteanskaffer jordbaseret luftforsvar for milliarder 🇩🇰🫡 “Det er afgørende, at DK reagerer på den sikkerhedspolitiske udvikling, og derfor er det vigtigt, at vi allerede i 2026 kan tage Forsvarets jordbaserede luftforsvar i operativ anvendelse,” siger @troelslundp pic.twitter.com/t2nMMV4aur

— Forsvarsministeriet/Danish MoD (@Forsvarsmin) June 10, 2025

Denmark has lacked ground-based air defense capabilities since retiring its Dehawk system two decades ago, a shift that reflected post-Cold War priorities toward overseas missions. The new procurement marks a significant pivot back to territorial defense.

UN Envoy Warns Myanmar Faces Collapse Without End to Violence

Myanmar is spiraling toward “self-destruction” if it fails to end the civil war triggered by the 2021 military coup, UN special envoy Julie Bishop warned Tuesday during remarks to the UN General Assembly.

Bishop, a former Australian foreign minister, said violence has persisted even after a powerful March earthquake killed over 3,000 people in Naypyitaw and Mandalay, deepening the humanitarian crisis.

Bishop noted that ceasefires remain largely unobserved, and armed clashes continue to obstruct aid delivery. She blamed all parties for pursuing a zero-sum approach, warning that the ongoing influx of weapons is fueling illusions of a military solution.

Since the coup, the junta has killed an estimated 6,600 civilians and imprisoned over 22,000 political opponents, including ousted civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi, who remains in detention ahead of her 80th birthday in June.

The conflict has intensified with long-standing ethnic militias and pro-democracy forces resisting junta control.

The people of #Myanmar, including the Rohingya, need peace, stability & a return to democracy.

Thx to @HonJulieBishop for the sobering briefing. We support your work & urge the military to stop attacking civilians & allow unhindered humanitarian aid.
➡️https://t.co/Eeo3OoshFI pic.twitter.com/g91jkAj2SF

— 🇪🇺EU at UN-NY (@EUatUN) June 10, 2025

Bishop discouraged Myanmar’s military-led government from holding elections planned for late 2024 or early 2025, arguing they risk inflaming instability unless violence ends and conditions ensure broad political participation.

She said she’s working with ASEAN special envoy Othman Hashim on joint efforts to pressure Myanmar’s leaders and plans a future visit to the country.

The situation for the Rohingya remains dire in Rakhine state, with 80 percent living in poverty amid ongoing clashes between junta troops and the Arakan Army.

Bishop condemned forced recruitment and human rights abuses targeting the minority and voiced support for a UN-backed conference on September 30 aimed at finding lasting solutions for the Rohingya and other persecuted minorities.

US and China Reach Trade Framework to Salvage Geneva Truce

Senior US and Chinese negotiators agreed to a new framework to revive stalled trade talks during two days of meetings in London, both sides confirmed Tuesday.

The breakthrough aims to stabilize a fragile truce reached last month in Geneva and resolve disputes over critical mineral and technology exports.

US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick described the meetings as a reset, saying, “First we had to get sort of the negativity out and now we can go forward.”

Asian markets rose following news of the agreement.

The talks came after a phone call between President Donald Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping.

China’s Vice Premier He Lifeng led the Chinese delegation, which included Commerce Minister Wang Wentao and Vice Minister Li Chenggang. They met with Lutnick, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, and Trade Representative Jamieson Greer.

Li confirmed both sides had agreed “in principle” to implement the Geneva consensus, though no concrete details or next meeting dates were disclosed.

After two days of negotiations in London, US and China have agreed to a broad framework agreement to put their trade truce back on track and resolve China’s export restrictions on rare earth minerals and magnets https://t.co/7uG5CmdvfQ pic.twitter.com/WlpbV8H5xf

— Reuters Business (@ReutersBiz) June 11, 2025

The negotiations resume with just 60 days remaining in the 90-day tariff truce. Key friction points include US restrictions on Chinese access to advanced semiconductor technologies and China’s curbs on rare earth mineral exports.

Lutnick said China has agreed to speed up export licensing for rare earths, and the US would begin rolling back its export measures in response.

The deal marks a notable shift, as the US has previously avoided making export controls a topic of trade negotiations. Analysts warn that opening this door may embolden China to push harder on tech access in future talks.

Meanwhile, a US appeals court ruled Tuesday that the Trump administration can continue collecting global tariffs while it fights a legal challenge to its trade policy.

Trump reiterated his goal to “open up China” to more American goods, warning that failure to do so could stall further talks.

Sources: News Agencies