Defense Secretary Mark T. Esper effectively banned displays of the Confederate battle flag on U.S. military installations, saying in a memo Friday that 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.”
The memo does not explicitly mention Confederate banners but states that the American flag is the “principal flag we are authorized and encouraged to display.”
Esper chose not to name any specific, prohibited flag “to ensure the departmentwide policy would be apolitical and withstand potential free speech political challenges but that the services are still free to act on other flags,” according to a defense official familiar with the secretary’s decision.
The official, speaking on the condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the issue, said the White House is aware of the new policy. It was not immediately clear if President Trump supports it.
Esper’s decision comes amid a nationwide conversation about race and racism that was spawned in May by the killing of a black man, George Floyd, in police custody. But the discussion in the Pentagon began before that, after the Marine Corps commandant, Gen. David Berger, announced in April that he was banning the public display of the Confederate battle flag on Marine bases.
The Marine Corps released its new policy in June and other senior military officials expressed interest in following suit. But deliberations in other services came to a halt last month after Trump lashed out on Twitter when Esper and Army Secretary Ryan McCarthy acknowledged they were open to changing the names of 10 Army installations that carry the moniker of Confederate officers who fought to preserve slavery during the Civil War.
Esper’s new policy does not address the base-naming issue. An amendment in the new defense spending bill would require the Pentagon to change the names as well as remove other Confederate references, symbols and paraphernalia from installations within three years. Trump has threatened to veto the bill if the amendment is included.
Esper, in his memo Friday, sought to cast his decision as an affirmation of the American flag and what it means.
“Flags are powerful symbols, particularly in the military community for whom flags embody common mission, common histories, and the special, timeless bond of warriors,” Esper said in his memo, which was obtained by The Washington Post. “As Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens, a veteran of the Second World War, once wrote about the United States flag: ‘It is a symbol of freedom, of equal opportunity, of religious tolerance, and of good will for other peoples who share our aspirations.’ ”
Esper said that in addition to the American flag, several other flags are authorized, including those of U.S. states, territories and the District of Columbia, military services, general officers, Senate-confirmed presidential appointees, the POW/MIA flag, U.S. allies and partners, and organizations like NATO in which the United States is a member.
Confederate flags are absent from that list.
The defense official familiar with Esper’s decision said the secretary supports the Marine Corps’ decision and recognizes the Confederate flag’s importance as a symbol. Removing it from bases is a “signal that we are moving out,” the defense official said.
