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Pentagon Orders Renaming of USNS Harvey Milk During Pride Month

Set to be unveiled on June 13, the renaming underscores the Trump administration’s efforts to revive a “warrior culture” at the expense of diversity symbols.

USNS Harvey Milk departs the General Dynamics NASSCO shipyard after a ceremonial address in San Diego, California on November 6, 2021.
USNS Harvey Milk during acceptance trials in May 2023
The John Lewis-class replenishment oiler USNS Harvey Milk (T-AO-206) conducts a replenishment at sea with the world’s largest aircraft carrier, USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78), December 13, 2024.
Main: Civil Service Mariners aboard Military Sealift Command’s fleet replenishment oiler USNS Harvey Milk, Norfolk Virginia, Spetmeber 2024. Inset: U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth delivers his speech during 22nd Shangri-La Dialogue summit in Singapore, Saturday, May 31, 2025.

Overview

  • Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth directed Navy Secretary John Phelan to strip the USNS Harvey Milk of its name, with a new moniker to be announced June 13 aboard the USS Constitution.
  • The John Lewis–class oiler, christened in 2021, is currently in maintenance at an Alabama shipyard as the Navy begins the renaming process.
  • An internal memo links the change to alignment with President Trump and Hegseth’s objective to re-establish a “warrior culture” by reversing diversity and inclusion initiatives.
  • LGBTQ+ advocates and lawmakers such as former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi have condemned the move as a vindictive erasure of civil rights legacies.
  • CBS News reports that other vessels named for civil rights icons, including USNS Thurgood Marshall and USNS Ruth Bader Ginsburg, may also be slated for renaming.