American flags purchased by the Department of Defense must now be 100% produced and sourced in the United States, according to rules that went into effect Friday.
Before the rule amendment, American flags purchased by the military weren’t necessarily American-made, and while the major vendors for the Department of Defense are American companies, flag material such as ink or fabric could have been sourced abroad, reports USA Today.
“Our men (and) women in uniform should serve under American-made flags,” Rep. Mike Thompson, D-Calif., said on his Facebook page last week.
The Defense Department purchases around 1,000 to 2,000 Stars and Stripes flags annually for purposes such as flying them over the Pentagon, military bases and ships, and burial flags for military personnel killed in action. Under the new rules, all will be entirely made in America.