Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has directed the U.S. Navy to rename an oiler vessel that had been named in honor of a well-known gay rights activist, according to senior Department of Defense officials who spoke to Military.com on Tuesday.

A memorandum from the Office of the Secretary of the Navy, reviewed by the outlet, confirms that the Navy has already created plans to carry out the renaming of the USNS Harvey Milk.

One defense official verified that the Navy is proceeding with removing the vessel’s name under the direct orders of Secretary Hegseth. The official also emphasized that the timing—during LGBT “Pride Month”—was deliberate.

The memo stated the renaming is being done to ensure “alignment with president and SECDEF objectives and SECNAV priorities of reestablishing the warrior culture.”

Harvey Milk, a prominent figure in San Francisco’s gay rights movement, became one of the first openly gay elected officials in the United States during the 1970s. He was assassinated while serving on the San Francisco Board of Supervisors.

Per the memorandum, the name change is scheduled to be officially announced on June 13. While it did not specify a new name, it mentioned that Hegseth and Phelan are expected to make the announcement while aboard the USS Constitution, the Navy’s oldest commissioned ship.

The Harvey Milk is part of the John Lewis-class of oilers, a group of ships originally designated to honor notable civil rights leaders and activists. Although renaming ships is not unprecedented in U.S. Navy history, it remains relatively rare.

In 2023, former President Joe Biden’s Department of Defense announced plans to rename the cruiser USS Chancellorsville and the research ship USNS Maury, citing ties to the Confederacy.

The ship was named after Milk in 2016 by then-Navy Secretary Ray Mabus. Milk, who came from a family with a naval background, also served in the Navy before entering politics.

Milk was commissioned as an officer in 1951 and served as a diving officer aboard the submarine rescue ship USS Kittiwake during the Korean War. He was honorably discharged as a lieutenant junior grade in 1955.

At the age of 33, Milk was involved in a relationship with a 16-year-old boy who, according to Randy Shilts’ The Mayor of Castro Street, was searching for a “father figure.”

Secretary Hegseth has also been working to reverse other name changes instituted under previous administrations across the military. In March, Fort Liberty in North Carolina reverted to its original name, Fort Bragg, after being renamed in 2023 by the Biden administration.

The fort was initially named for Confederate General Braxton Bragg, but it now honors Army Pfc. Roland L. Bragg, a World War II paratrooper and Silver Star recipient.