Updated June 4, 2025 at 12:16 PM EDT
The Pentagon plans to rename the USNS Harvey Milk, named after the late gay rights leader, and is reviewing the names of a class of ships named after Black and Hispanic civil rights leaders and prominent women, officials say.
The USNS Harvey Milk is named after the Navy veteran and San Francisco politician who was assassinated in 1978. There's no timeline for the renaming or what new name the fleet replenishment oiler will be. CBS News first reported the proposed name changes.
The Navy referred all comments to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's office, which only provided a brief statement.
"Secretary 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," said Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell. "Any potential renaming(s) will be announced after internal reviews are complete."
Officials say the other ships under review include: The USNS Thurgood Marshall, named after the first African American to serve on the Supreme Court, the USNS Ruth Bader Ginsberg, named after the late Supreme Court Justice, the USNS Harriet Tubman, named for the woman who helped slaves escape to freedom in the 19th century, the USNS Dolores Huerta and USNS Cesar Chavez, both Hispanic labor leaders, USNS Lucy Stone, a 19th century suffragette and the USNS Medgar Evers, the assassinated 1960s civil rights leader. These are John Lewis-class ships, meant to be named after civil rights leaders and activist icons. The lead ship in the group is named after the noted American politician and civil rights leader.
"The reported decision by the Trump administration to change the names of the USNS Harvey Milk and other ships in the John Lewis-class is a shameful, vindictive erasure of those who fought to break down barriers for all to chase the American Dream," said Democratic Rep. Nancy Pelosi of California, the former House speaker. "Our military is the most powerful in the world — but 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."
"Culture of Excellence"
It's rare for the Navy to change the name of a ship. Two years ago, the Navy renamed the USS Chancellorsville and the USNS Maury, based on a congressional commission's recommendation to remove names linked to the Confederacy. The Chancellorsville was renamed the USS Robert Smalls, after a former slave who captured a Confederate ship during the Civil War, and the Maury became the USNS Marie Tharp, named after a pioneering female oceanographer.
The announcement follows a flurry of activity by Pentagon leaders to end what they say is a "woke" military that's too focused on diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI). Shortly after he arrived at the Pentagon, Hegseth fired prominent Black and female officers, questioning whether they received their posts from merit or from their race or gender. They included Air Force Gen. CQ Brown, the second African American to serve as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and Adm. Lisa Franchetti, the first woman selected as the Navy's top officer.
The Trump administration also set out to eliminate or restructure courses at the U.S. Naval Academy and West Point that had to do with racial, gender or LGBTQ issues. Books with such topics were also either removed from the libraries or are under review.
And last month, Hegseth ordered the military academies to no longer consider race, gender and ethnicity in their admissions processes. "Selecting anyone but the best erodes lethality, our warfighting readiness, and undercuts the culture of excellence in our armed forces," Hegseth said at the time.
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