(Luis Cornelio, Headline USA) Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth ordered the military to rename the USNS Harvey Milk—a ship named after the controversial late politician, veteran and gay rights activist.
An internal memo from the Pentagon showed the Office of the Secretary of the Navy has created a plan to change the ship’s name, though the replacement has yet to be announced.
Harvey Milk, the first openly gay person elected to public office in California, was assassinated in 1978 by a disgruntled former colleague at the San Francisco City Hall.
Some critics label Milk a “pedophile” because, at age 33, he allegedly became romantically involved with a 17-year-old. By contrast, National Review, a purportedly conservative magazine, hailed Milk as an American patriot, citing his prior service in the U.S. Navy.
According to Military.com, Hegseth issued the renaming order directly to Navy Secretary John P. Fleming. An anonymous source told the outlet the move was intentionally timed to coincide with Pride Month.
The memo indicated Milk’s stripping was done to align with President Donald Trump’s and Hegseth’s push to re-establish a “warrior culture” in the military, rather than pursue forced inclusivity through DEI policies.
The renaming is scheduled for public announcement on June 13.
The memo also revealed that other ships have been targeted for renaming, including USNS Thurgood Marshall, USNS Ruth Bader Ginsburg, USNS Harriet Tubman, USNS Dolores Huerta, USNS Lucy Stone, USNS Cesar Chavez and USNS Medgar Evers.
On Jan. 31, 2025—days after his confirmation—Hegseth issued a directive titled “Identity Months Dead at DoD.”
“Our unity and purpose are instrumental to meeting the Department’s warfighting mission. Efforts to divide the force – to put one group ahead of another – erode camaraderie and threaten mission execution,” Hegseth wrote.
That directive banned celebrations for:
- National African American/Black History Month
- Women’s History Month
- Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month
- National Hispanic Heritage Month
- National Disability Employment Awareness Month
- National American Indian Heritage Month
