It has not yet been formally approved while military legal personnel review how to ensure that a ban can be carried out, the official said.
The decision to move forward with a department-wide ban could now come soon, the official said. It is unknown if Defense Secretary Mark Esper will seek Trump’s approval to proceed with the ban.
The news of the possible military ban came the same day that White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany avoided specifically answering multiple questions from reporters about the president’s apparent support for flying the flag at NASCAR events.
She said the president was not “passing judgment” on the flag in a tweet where she suggested that NASCAR’s ratings had dropped due to the decision to ban the flag.
Trump has championed Confederate symbols
Marine Corps Commander General David Berger and the head of US forces in Korea, General Robert Abrams, have already instituted bans on flag displays at marine bases and in South Korea. The military chiefs of the Navy, Army and Air Force and their civilian counterparts have been working on similar bans.
Chief of Naval Operations Admiral Mike Gilday last month ordered his staff to begin drafting an order that would ban the flag from all public spaces and work areas aboard Navy facilities, ships, planes, and submarines. , according to a Navy official. The Army and Air Force bans were also set to go with similar bans, according to several officials.
Military leaders in favor of banning the flag have argued that it is a divisive symbol that negatively affects the cohesion of combat units.
“I am aware that many people believe that this flag is a symbol of regional heritage or pride. But I also bear in mind the feelings of pain and rejection of those who inherited cultural memory and the current effects of the scourge of slavery in our country,” Berger wrote in April. “My intention is not to judge the specific meaning that someone attributes to that symbol or to declare that someone’s personal opinion is incorrect.”
“On the contrary, I am focused solely on building a war combat team with a unique capacity whose members come from all walks of life and must learn to operate side by side,” he added.
Abrams, the commander of all U.S. forces in Korea, echoed that point in a June memo when he banned the flag.
“While I recognize that some might see it as a symbol of regional pride, many others in our force see it as a painful reminder of hatred, bigotry, betrayal, and devaluation of humanity. Regardless of perspective, one thing is clear; it has the power to inflame feelings of racial division. We cannot have that division between us, “he wrote.
Still, Trump has made clear his views on issues related to Confederate statues and renaming of military bases, making the flag ban another potential point of conflict between the Pentagon and the President.
On Sunday, Senator Jack Reed, the top Democrat on the Senate Armed Services Committee, told CNN that removing the Confederate names was a “bipartisan” position.
“We have a bipartisan position. And it was approved by the Senate Armed Services Committee bipartisan. It was made public. It is part of our bill. I guess it will be part of the House bill. And I think we will go forward. and pass the legislation. Again, I can’t emphasize enough, it was bipartisan. It came out because I think people recognize that we had an important time to correct the story, so to speak, “Reed said.
Military leaders have given a different tone than Trump
Military leaders have given a completely different tone on issues of race and inclusion in recent weeks.
Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Mark Milley advised the audience to “remove everything that divides us.”
While he also spoke of the traditional need to monitor adversaries “during periods when we are tired of conflict or otherwise concerned,” and did not mention Trump by name, his comments seemed to address the broader context of the racial divide in the country and concerns within the Pentagon about the military becoming politicized.
Milley told the students, “We who clothe the fabric of our nation must appreciate the principle of an apolitical army that is so deeply rooted in the very essence of our Republic.”
The Pentagon’s effort to tackle racism and promote equality, even as leaders try to avoid White House policy, has been remarkable and follows Milley’s extraordinary apologies for appearing in a photo shoot with Trump after the forced dispersal of peaceful protesters outside the White House last month. .
Similarly, Esper acknowledged the problematic nature of his own appearance and then told reporters that he did not want to see active duty forces on the streets of Washington, a statement that increased tensions between the Pentagon and the White House.
Several current defense officials with access to both men say the two are deeply concerned about Trump’s attempt to politicize the military and potentially drag forces into the presidential election campaign.
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