Adm. Mike Gilday, chief of naval operations, said Tuesday that he directed his 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.
The Confederate battle flag has all too often been co-opted by violent extremist and racist groups whose divisive beliefs have no place in our Corps, the Corps said in a separate statement last Friday.
Ten major Army installations are named for Confederate Army officers, mostly senior generals, including Robert E. Lee.
Few voices in the military are openly defending the link to Confederate symbols, but some of the bases named for Confederate officers are legendary in their own right.
Fort Bragg, for example, is home to some of the Armys most elite forces.