Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has ordered the renaming of the USNS Harvey Milk, a rare move that removes the name of the slain gay rights advocate and Korean War Navy veteran. Image: Maxwell Orlosky/U.S. Navy/AP.
(The Post News)– Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has directed the Navy to rename the USNS Harvey Milk, an unusual decision that removes the name of the slain gay rights advocate and former Navy sailor who served during the Korean War.
The USNS Harvey Milk was named in 2016 by then-Navy Secretary Ray Mabus, who stated at the time that ships in the John Lewis class of oilers would honour leaders who championed civil and human rights.
According to U.S. officials who spoke to NPR on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of internal discussions, Navy Secretary John Phelan has assembled a small team to oversee the renaming of the replenishment oiler. A new name is expected to be announced later this month, though a final decision has not yet been made.
The change was outlined in an internal memo, which officials told NPR framed the decision as part of an effort to align with President Donald Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s objectives to “re-establish the warrior culture”.
The decision is the latest in a series of actions by Defense Secretary Hegseth and the broader Trump administration aimed at shifting focus away from diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives. It comes during Pride Month, at the same time the Pentagon is advancing policies affecting transgender service members in the U.S. military.
Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell told NPR in a statement that Defense Secretary Hegseth is “committed to ensuring that the names attached to all DOD installations and assets reflect the Commander-in-Chief’s priorities, our nation’s history, and the warrior ethos.”
Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, a Democrat representing San Francisco, said in a statement Tuesday that “this spiteful move does not strengthen our national security or the ‘warrior’ ethos. Instead, it is a surrender of a fundamental American value: to honour the legacy of those who worked to build a better country.”
California Governor Gavin Newsom also criticized the decision, noting that Harvey Milk was a combat veteran of the Korean War whose commanding officer once described him as “outstanding”.
“Stripping his name from a Navy ship won’t erase his legacy as an American icon, but it does reveal Trump’s contempt for the very values our veterans fight to protect,” the Democrat wrote in a social media post (X).
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