The U.S. Navy is banning the Confederate battle flag from public spaces aboard ships, aircraft and submarines as the country continues to grapple over questions about police abuse and racial equality.
On Tuesday, Adm. Mike Gilday, the Chief of Naval Operations, told his staff to begin crafting an order to purge the Confederate flag from the fleet. The move follows an earlier decision by the Marine Corps to ban flags and emblems of the Confederacy.
“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,” Navy officials said in a statement released Tuesday.
The decision from Adm. Gilday comes after a week’s worth of protests and riots throughout the nation after the death of George Floyd at the hands of a Minneapolis police officer.
• Mike Glenn can be reached at mglenn@washingtontimes.com.
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