Pentagon finds way to ban Confederate flag without openly defying Donald Trump
- Defence chief Mark Esper issues list of flags that can be displayed on US military bases, but omits symbol of old South and white supremacy
- Trump has defended Confederate flag and criticised Nascar for banning its display amid nationwide protests over racial injustice
The Pentagon is barring display of the Confederate flag on US military bases after Defence Secretary Mark Esper issued a list of acceptable flags that does not include the symbol of the old South and of white supremacy.
The move on Friday may have been an to sidestep a direct clash with President Donald Trump, who has defended the symbol of the Confederacy. Rather than barring the flag explicitly, Esper issued a list of permitted flags that excluded it.
Esper said in a memo Friday that “flags are powerful symbols, particularly in the military community for whom flags embody common mission, common histories, and the special, timeless bond of warriors”.
He said the American flag “is the principal flag we are authorised and encouraged to display. 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.”