In a bold move aimed at restoring honor and tradition to the United States Navy, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has directed the renaming of the USNS Harvey Milk, a ship named after a controversial figure of the gay rights movement.

A memorandum reviewed by Military.com confirms that Navy Secretary John Phelan received direct orders from Hegseth to initiate the change, with the announcement timed for Pride Month — a clear signal of the Trump administration’s intent to shift the focus of the military back toward its core mission: warfighting, readiness, and patriotism.

The memo reportedly cites the need to “align with president and SECDEF objectives and SECNAV priorities of reestablishing the warrior culture.” That refers to President Donald J. Trump, now in his second term, and his defense team’s ongoing efforts to purge the armed forces of identity politics and social engineering schemes left behind by previous administrations.

The USNS Harvey Milk, an oiler ship within the John Lewis-class fleet, was named in 2016 by Obama-era Navy Secretary Ray Mabus. Milk, who was elected to public office in San Francisco in the 1970s, was a vocal gay rights activist who served in the Navy before being discharged under circumstances related to his sexual orientation. His post-service legacy has long been controversial among conservatives who argue that military honors should be reserved for battlefield valor and patriotic service — not progressive activism.

While the new name of the ship has yet to be revealed, Defense Secretary Hegseth and Secretary Phelan plan to announce the replacement name aboard the USS Constitution on June 13 — a symbolic choice, as the historic warship represents America’s earliest and most honorable naval traditions.

The Navy may also be reconsidering other ships in the same class, including those named after left-wing icons like Supreme Court Justices Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Thurgood Marshall, as well as abolitionist Harriet Tubman. Some of these ships are still under construction, making the renaming process far easier.

Not surprisingly, the left is fuming. Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), whose district includes San Francisco, denounced the move as “a shameful, vindictive erasure” and took a predictable swipe at efforts to restore the military’s warrior ethos.

“Our military is the most powerful in the world — but this spiteful move does not strengthen our national security or the ‘warrior’ ethos,” Pelosi said.

But for many conservatives, the opposite is true: restoring honor to the fleet means moving away from woke symbolism and returning to the roots of discipline, strength, and duty.

Unlike the recent renaming of ships tied to the Confederacy under a Democrat-led commission, this directive came straight from the top — a clear demonstration of executive resolve. The renaming of the USNS Harvey Milk is a rare but powerful reminder that, under President Trump and Secretary Hegseth, the United States military is again putting country over politics.