Defense Secretary Mark Esper effectively banned the display of Confederate flags from military bases amid a nationwide reckoning over racism and the display of Confederate …
Defense Secretary Mark Esper effectively banned the display of Confederate flags from military bases amid a nationwide reckoning over racism and the display of Confederate symbols.
In a two-page memo to military commanders and senior Defense Department leaders, Esper said “the flags we fly must accord with the military imperatives of good order and discipline, treating all our people with dignity and respect, and rejecting divisive symbols.”
Esper listed as appropriate for display state flags, the POW/MIA flag, military service flags and flags of countries allied with the United States. The Confederate flag was absent from the list.
The guidance applies to all public displays of flags in “Department of Defense work places, common access areas, and public areas,” Esper wrote.
“With this change in policy, we will further improve the morale, cohesion, and readiness of the force in defense of our great Nation,” he concluded.
Esper’s decision comes just days after President Donald Trump defended those who fly the Confederate flag.
“Like it, don’t like it. It’s freedom of speech.” Trump said in an interview with CBS News. When the reporter noted that it’s a painful symbol of slavery for many African Americans, Trump responded: “I know people that like the Confederate flag, and they’re not thinking about slavery.
