Pentagon considering a base-wide ban on Confederate flags

Pentagon leaders are considering a ban on Confederate flags at all bases, an official said Monday, in another possible step in the military’s reckoning with racism and its long acceptance of Civil War tributes.

The official said the draft policy being considered at the Pentagon’s highest levels would build on recent moves by military services to bar Confederate symbols on facilities they control and, if approved, would represent the first Defense Department-wide prohibition of such iconography.

The official spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss internal deliberations. A Pentagon spokesman declined to comment on the proposed change, which was first reported by CNN.

The Pentagon’s consideration of the new policy comes as some state and local leaders, along with colleges, universities and organizations, take steps to address the legacy of the Civil War, slavery and racism, removing statues of Confederate leaders from public spaces and renaming institutions honoring officials linked to racist policies. Last month, Mississippi’s governor signed a bill changing the state flag. NASCAR has also banned the flag.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/pentagon-considering-a-base-wide-ban-on-confederate-flags/2020/07/06/0cdbabde-bfcd-11ea-864a-0dd31b9d6917_story.html