USNS Harvey Milk to be renamed at Hegseth's order

Trump orders all federal DEI employees put on leave

The White House’s Office of Personnel Management notified heads of agencies and departments that they must begin taking steps to close all Diversity, Equity and Inclusion offices by the end of the day Wednesday and place government workers in those offices on paid leave, Fox News Digital has learned.

WASHINGTON - Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has ordered the Navy to rename the USNS Harvey Milk.

This will strip the ship of the moniker of a slain gay rights activist who served as a sailor during the Korean War.

USNS Harvey Milk will be renamed

The change was confirmed in an internal memo that officials said defended the action as a move to align with President Donald Trump and Hegseth's objectives to "re-establish the warrior culture."

U.S. officials said that Navy Secretary John Phelan has put together a small team to rename the ship. A new name is expected later this month. 

What they're saying:

 Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell said in a statement that Hegseth is "committed to ensuring that the names attached to all DOD installations and assets are reflective of the Commander-in-Chief’s priorities, our nation’s history, and the warrior ethos." 

Meanwhile, 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 honor the legacy of those who worked to build a better country."

USNS Harvey Milk departs the General Dynamics NASSCO shipyard after a ceremonial address in San Diego, California, on November 6, 2021. (Credit: ARIANA DREHSLER / AFP via Getty Images)

California Gov. Gavin Newsom also slammed the move, saying Milk was a Korean War combat veteran whose commander called him "outstanding."

Trump administration’s move during Pride Month

Dig deeper:

It marks the latest move by the Trump administration to  purge programs with references to references to diversity, equity and inclusion. 

The news also comes during Pride Month — a month-long celebration dedicated to LGBTQ+ people, their history and their culture.

The oiler is operated by Military Sealift Command, with a crew of about 125 civilian mariners. The Navy says it conducted its first resupply mission at sea in fall 2024, while operating in the Virginia Capes.

While the renaming is rare, the Biden administration also changed the names of two Navy ships in 2023 as part of the effort to remove Confederate names from U.S. military installations.

Who is Harvey Milk?

The backstory:

Milk, who was portrayed by Sean Penn in an Oscar-winning 2008 movie, served for four years in the Navy before he was forced out for being gay. He later became one of the first openly gay candidates elected to public office.

Milk served on the San Francisco Board of Supervisors and had sponsored a bill banning discrimination based on sexual orientation in public accommodations, housing and employment. It passed, and San Francisco Mayor George Moscone signed it into law.

On Nov. 27, 1978, Milk and Moscone were assassinated by Dan White, a disgruntled former city supervisor who cast the sole vote against Milk’s bill.