The US Army is now open to renaming its military bases — here are 10 of them that still reference Confederate leaders

The XVIII Airborne Corps Headquarters sign at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, June 28, 2019.Pfc. Joshua Cowden / 22nd Mobile Public Affairs Detachment /DVIDS

• The US Army is taking a hard look at renaming its military bases that honor leaders of the Confederate Army, whose battle flag persists as a symbol of racism.
• A group of 11 states, known as the Confederate States of America, seceded from the United States in the 1860s to continue enslaving millions of African Americans.
• Over a half a million people died during the US Civil War.

The US Army is considering renaming nearly a dozen military bases that reference senior military leaders from the Confederate Army, as other service branches have issued directives banning Confederate Army symbols on their bases.

Defense Secretary Mark Esper and Army Secretary Ryan McCarthy announced that they are willing to discuss the renaming of the bases on a "bipartisan" basis, a US Army spokesperson said in a statement.

The Army previously said to military news organization Task & Purpose that it had no plans to "rename any street or installation," and that the namings were "done in a spirit of reconciliation, not to demonstrate support for any particular cause or ideology."

"The Army has a tradition of naming installations and streets after historical figures of military significance, including former Union and Confederate general officers," an Army spokesperson said to Task & Purpose in February.

The change in posture comes as the country grapples with racial tensions following the death of George Floyd, a Black man who died during his arrest in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on May 25.

The US Marine Corps last week officially banned displaying the Confederate flag on its bases, and on Tuesday, Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Mike Gilday announced the service would also ban the flag's imagery.

"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 Marine Corps said in a statement. "Our history as a nation, and events like the violence in Charlottesville in 2017, highlight the divisiveness the use of the Confederate battle flag has had on our society."

"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," US Navy spokesman Cmdr. Nate Christensen said a separate statement.

US Army Gen. Mark Milley, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, also supported the Army's discussion on the issue, CNN reported Tuesday.