• The USNS Harvey Milk will be renamed USNS Oscar V. Peterson.
• Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth aims to remove "political" influences from ship naming.
• Peterson was awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions during WWII.
• The decision is part of broader efforts to reshape military traditions.
• The renaming coincides with Pride Month amidst ongoing military policy changes.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced that the naval ship USNS Harvey Milk is being renamed the USNS Oscar V. Peterson. Hegseth stated, "We are taking the politics out of ship naming," emphasizing that the renaming is not intended to honor political activists but rather recognize a Medal of Honor recipient for his dedication and service during World War II, according to Newsweek and ABC News.

The ship's new namesake, Oscar V. Peterson, was a Navy Chief Petty Officer who received the Medal of Honor for his heroism during the 1942 Battle of Coral Sea, where he died from injuries sustained while trying to keep his ship operational. Hegseth's move to strip the ship's original name reflects a larger initiative to realign military traditions with conservative values, aiming to "re-establish the warrior culture," according to Los Angeles Times.

The renaming has attracted attention particularly as it coincides with Pride Month and is part of Hegseth's broader strategy against the military's diversity initiatives, which were more prominent under prior administrations. Hegseth argues that the original name served as an example of "political activism," and and he aspires to honor individuals based on military merit instead, as he articulated in recent public statements, according to Los Angeles Times and ABC News.