The Department of Defense may ban the display of the Confederate flag at its properties. The press obtained a proposed Pentagon policy about the matter on Monday.
The DOD’s Undersecretary for Personnel Matthew Donovan wrote a memo on banning the Confederate battle flag. He highlighted the importance of the U.S. flag and minority members of the military.
According to the policy, the DOD “must cultivate an environment in which we trust one another completely and treat each other with dignity and respect. Unlike the United States flag, the Confederate battle flag tends to promote division not unity, among our people.”
It states that the U.S. flag is “the flag that we wear on our sleeves today, the flag we drape on the coffins of our people who have given their lives for our nation.”
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A ban on the Confederate flag would help “the morale of our personnel, good order and discipline within the military ranks and unit cohesion” because many military personnel “take grave offense at such a display.”
“The public display of the Confederate battle flag on military installations sends a divisive message and risks discouraging enlistment,” Donovan wrote.
The ban would apply in Defense Department workplaces and public areas and would cover displays by military and civilian personnel.
The U.S. Marines have already banned the flag’s display at their bases.
Any attempt to ban the Confederate battle flag could run into trouble, however. President Donald Trump has repeatedly defended Confederate monuments and bases named for Confederates. He’s also slammed NASCAR for a similar ban.
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Darragh Roche is a journalist covering U.S. politics and media
