The US Navy is preparing to prohibit the display of the Confederate battle flag in all public and work areas on bases, ships, aircraft, and submarines, Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Mike Gilday said this afternoon.
The CNO tweeted that an order is in the works, adding that the order is intended to “ensure unit cohesion, preserve good order and discipline, and uphold the Navy’s core values of honor, courage, and commitment.”
Today, I directed my staff to begin crafting an order that would prohibit the Confederate battle flag from all public spaces and work areas aboard Navy installations, ships, aircraft and submarines.
— USNavyCNO (@USNavyCNO) June 9, 2020
The Navy’s move follows a Marine Corps decision last Friday to ban the display of the Confederate battle flag, a banner sometimes referred to as the stars and bars and flown during the civil war by those who rose up against their country in defense of slavery.
“The Confederate battle flag has all too often been co-opted by violent extremist and racist groups whose divisive beliefs have no place in our Corps,” the Corps said in a statement.
“Our history as a nation, and events like the violence in Charlottesville in 2017, highlight the divisiveness the use of the Confederate battle flag has had on our society.”
Marine Corps commandant Gen. David Berger said in April that he is “mindful that many people believe that flag to be a symbol of heritage or regional pride.”
At the same time, he is also very aware “of the feelings of pain and rejection of those who inherited the cultural memory and present effects of the scourge of slavery in our country.”
Two US Defense officials previously said that US Army Secretary Ryan McCarthy, Secretary of Defense Mark Esper and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Mark Milley are said to be open to holding a “bipartisan conversation” about renaming nearly a dozen major bases and installations that bear the names of Confederate military commanders.
Army installations named after Confederate leaders include Fort Bragg in North Carolina, Fort Hood in Texas and Fort A.P. Hill in Virginia.
The flag of the Confederacy, its symbols and the statues commemorating Confederate leaders have long divided the country.
Critics call the flag a symbol that represents the war to uphold slavery, while supporters call it a sign of Southern pride and heritage.
The symbols have increasingly become a rallying call for white supremacists.