Defense Secretary Orders Renaming of USNS Harvey Milk Amid DEI Policy Changes

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has directed the U.S. Navy to rename the USNS Harvey Milk (T-AO 206), a John Lewis-class fleet oiler that was delivered to the Navy in 2023, according to multiple media reports citing U.S. Defense officials.

This decision comes at the beginning of Pride Month and represents the latest move in the military’s efforts to scale back diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives.

The vessel, named after Harvey Milk, a Navy veteran who became one of the first openly gay individuals elected to public office in the United States, was designated for this honor by the Navy in 2016.

The USNS Harvey Milk is part of the John Lewis-class fleet oiler program, which consists of 742-foot vessels designed to provide critical at-sea replenishment. The ships are designed to carry approximately 157,000 barrels of oil and provide diesel fuel, lubricating oil, and other provisions to Navy ships at sea.

General Dynamics NASSCO, which delivered the vessel, currently holds contracts for seventeen of the planned twenty ships in the program. The contract, expanded in September 2024, is valued at potentially over $6.7 billion.

The John Lewis-class ships are traditionally named after civil rights leaders, with other vessels in the class including the USNS John Lewis, USNS Earl Warren, and USNS Robert F. Kennedy.

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