The decision could increase tension between Esper and Republican President Donald Trump, who has cited free speech rights in his defense of Americans who fly the Confederate flag.
The Confederate flag was flown by breakaway Southern states that advocated for the continuation of slavery and lost the 1861-65 U.S. Civil War.
Flying the flag can be offensive to many Americans, who see it as a reminder of the enslavement of Black Americans and as a symbol of white supremacy.
Supporters say the flag represents the South’s heritage and culture and, along with U.S. military bases named after Confederate generals and statues honoring them, serve as memorials to Confederate casualties in the Civil War.
Trump has also publicly opposed renaming U.S. military bases named after Confederate generals, such as Fort Hood in Texas and Fort Bragg in North Carolina, putting him at odds with his military, whose top general has said the matter should be re-examined.
The reason it does not cite the Confederate flag explicitly was to ensure that it could withstand challenges, the defense official said.
Most U.S. military services, including the Marine Corps, have already banned the display of Confederate flags, but Esper’s memorandum is department-wide and will affect military installations around the world. »
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