In another example of how the American military IS at odds with its commander-in-chief who could be gone as soon as 6 months from now…….
The Defense Sec has cut back on authorised flags for his department….
The order excludes the Confederate flag being on Defense Depart. property…
This is another move by the body of the US Military to rebuff the political actions of a boss , that little respect and caring about the troops he’s supposed to command….
Renaming Army bases will be the next effort for a military that is trying to deal with a change about its racist past…
The Pentagon, without once mentioning the word “Confederate,” announced a policy on Friday that essentially banned displays of the Confederate flag on military installations around the world.
In a carefully worded memo that Defense Department officials said they hoped would avoid igniting another defense of the flag from President Trump, Defense Secretary Mark T. Esper issued guidance that listed the types of flags that could be displayed on military installations — in barracks, on cars and on signs.
According to the guidance, appropriate flags include those of American states and territories, military services and other countries that are allies of the United States. The guidance never specifically says that Confederate flags are banned, but they do not fit in any of the approved categories — and any such flags are prohibited.
“Problem solved — we hope,” one Defense Department official said on Friday, speaking on the condition of anonymity so as not to anger Mr. Trump.
That senior military leaders are contorting themselves to such an extent shows the gap that has developed between the White House and the movement for racial justice that has swept across the country since the killing of George Floyd while in police custody in May in Minneapolis. As protests ignited, senior Defense Department officials began grappling with the legacy of racism in the military.
Gen. Mark A. Milley, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said last week at a House hearing that the Pentagon needed to take “a hard look” at changing the names of Army bases honoring Confederate officers who had fought against the Union during the Civil War, explicitly laying out a course that diverges from his commander in chief….
President Donald Trump is fighting to retain people’s right to fly the Confederate battle flag — but many of his own supporters and government have already turned in their swords.
Public polling shows a majority of Americans — including those in the South — now view the Confederate flag as a symbol of racism. Corporate institutions, such as NASCAR, have banned it. Republican leaders, some of them close Trump allies, are behind movements to take it down. Mississippi took the Confederate symbol out of its state flag. On Fox News, Trump’s favorite pundits are talking more about statues than flags. And Trump’s own Defense Department on Friday revealed a policy that effectively bars the flag from military properties….