Navy to ban Confederate flag, symbols from its bases and ships

The Navy is planning to ban Confederate flags from being displayed on any of its installations, in a move that comes after protests swept the nation following the death of George Floyd, a black man who died in police custody in Minneapolis. 

Admiral Michael M. Gilday said in a statement on Tuesday that he directed his staff to begin crafting an order that bans the flag from “all public spaces and work areas aboard Navy installations, ships, aircraft and submarines.”

“The order is meant to ensure unit cohesion, preserve good order and discipline, and uphold the Navy’s core values of honor, courage and commitment,” Gilday said. 

The announcement comes just days after the U.S. Marines said that it would begin removing all public displays of the Confederate flag on its military bases. In a news release, the Marines said that all depictions of the Confederate flag, including bumper stickers, clothing and posters, would be barred from its installations. 

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

“Current events are a stark reminder that it is not enough for us to remove symbols that cause division — rather, we also must strive to eliminate division itself,” Gen. David H. Berger, the commandant of the Marine Corps, said in a statement.

Floyd’s death has reignited efforts from activists and some lawmakers to remove memorials and tributes to Confederate leaders. Statues in multiple states in the South have been toppled by demonstrators in recent weeks and some local and state leaders have vowed to authorize their removal. 

The Army on Monday also said that it was open to renaming some of its bases that are named after military leaders of Confederate states.