It is the correct vote.
Renaming a base has nothing to do with the defense of our country.
I actually break with Cruz on this one, I don't think it was the correct vote.
Now you are absolutely right, the names of the bases has nothing to do with the actual defense of the country. Furthermore I oppose attempts to erase Confederate names from American history, and I note that Confederate veterans have been granted the same treatment as Union veterans more than once under Federal law. But the base names are symbolic; whether it's called Fort Hood or Joint Base Trayvon Martin, as we both agree the name of the base is irrelevant to the defense of the country. I don't like the re-naming, but it is a Defense
Department issue and I don't see it as a reason to vote against funding.
Also I note that Cruz (and Trump) have argued against the Defense Authorization Bill because it does *not* include repeal of Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act, to remove liability protection from information "platforms" which act as "publishers." Well I'm fully in favor of that repeal, but it's also not a National Defense issue; the ability to sue "platforms" for slander because they've become "publishers" has nothing to do with defending the country, and I'm disappointed that Cruz would make that argument against a bill which has an entirely different purpose.
The point is moot; the bill passed and, if vetoed, the veto will be over-ridden. And reasonable people can differ on this one I think.