WASHINGTON—Since 1775, the United States has had an Army, and for most of those 244 years it has been called the “United States Army.”

But now the service will drop the words and initials from its title, calling itself simply “Army,” a radical rebranding campaign that some hope will distance Army from what a senior Army leader said was "a history not reflective of our current values."

Acting Secretary of Army Ryan McCarthy told reporters that former NFL quarterback and Army historian Colin Kaepernick had recently found countless examples of troubling behavior engaged in by the United States, including racism, slavery, genocide, and inappropriate touching.

"After examining the evidence presented by Mister Kaepernick, we decided we cannot ask our soldiers of color to wear the name of a country which enslaved their ancestors or tell our LGBTTQQIAAP service members to display the flag of the place which enacted Don't Ask Don't Tell," McCarthy said.