Share and Follow

Facebook X Reddit Pinterest

96
<!- —
*{box-sizing:border-box}body{margin:0;padding:0}a[x-apple-data-detectors]{color:inherit!important;text-decoration:inherit!important}#MessageViewBody a{color:inherit;text-decoration:none}p{line-height:inherit}.desktop_hide,.desktop_hide table{mso-hide:all;display:none;max-height:0;overflow:hidden}.image_block img+div{display:none}sub,sup{font-size:75%;line-height:0}#converted-body .list_block ol,#converted-body .list_block ul,.body [class~=x_list_block] ol,.body [class~=x_list_block] ul,u+.body .list_block ol,u+.body .list_block ul{padding-left:20px} @media (max-width:620px){.desktop_hide table.icons-outer{display:inline-table!important}.image_block div.fullWidth{max-width:100%!important}.mobile_hide{display:none}.row-content{width:100%!important}.stack .column{width:100%;display:block}.mobile_hide{min-height:0;max-height:0;max-width:0;overflow:hidden;font-size:0}.desktop_hide,.desktop_hide table{display:table!important;max-height:none!important}.reverse{display:table;width:100%}.reverse .column.first{display:table-footer-group!important}.reverse .column.last{display:table-header-group!important}.row-10 td.column.first .border,.row-8 td.column.first .border{padding:5px 5px 15px 25px}.row-10 td.column.last .border,.row-12 td.column.last .border,.row-8 td.column.last .border{padding:5px 20px 25px 5px}.row-12 td.column.first .border{padding:5px 5px 15px 25px;border-bottom:15px solid transparent}}

Welcome to The Hill’s Defense & NatSec newsletter

{beacon}

Defense &
National Security

<!–

The Big Story

Hegseth orders Harvey Milk’s name stripped from ship amid Pride Month

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth ordered the Navy to rename an oil ship named after gay rights activist Harvey Milk, a move that pointedly comes at the start of Pride Month.

Military.com first reported the impending name change, citing a memorandum from the Office of the Secretary of the Navy. The document reportedly showed that the service planned to strip the oiler USNS Harvey Milk of its moniker.

A defense official also confirmed to the outlet that Hegseth had ordered Navy Secretary John Phelan to undertake the renaming, with the announcement intentionally set to occur on June 13 during Pride.

Following news of the impending name change, Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) called the decision “a shameful, vindictive erasure of those who fought to break down barriers for all to chase the American Dream.”

“Our military is the most powerful in the world — but this spiteful move does not strengthen our national security or the ‘warrior’ ethos,” the former House Speaker said in a statement. “Instead, it is a surrender of a fundamental American value: to honor the legacy of those who worked to build a better country.”

Both the Pentagon and Navy did not immediately respond to a request for comment from The Hill, but chief Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell later released a statement that appeared to confirm changes were underway, and not with just one ship.

“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,” Parnell said. “Any potential renaming(s) will be announced after internal reviews are complete.”

USNS Harvey Milk was officially named at an August 2016 ceremony in San Francisco, where Milk, an American politician, became the first openly gay man to be elected to public office in California in 1977 as a member of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors. He was assassinated in 1978 while serving on the board and posthumously awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2009.

Milk, a former Navy lieutenant who served during the Korean War aboard a submarine rescue ship, was forced to resign from service after four years and accept an other than honorable discharge instead of facing a court-martial for being gay – at the time a crime within the military.

Hegseth since becoming Pentagon chief has set out to dismantle any military program or reading material dealing with or referencing diversity, anti-racism or gender issues.

Read the full report at TheHill.com.

Welcome to The Hill’s Defense & National Security newsletter, I’m Ellen Mitchell — your guide to the latest developments at the Pentagon, on Capitol Hill and beyond.

Did someone forward you this newsletter? Subscribe here.

Essential Reads

How policy will affect defense and national security now and in
the future:

Brit Hume pushes back on Trump: Ukraine ‘has quite a few cards to play’

Fox News’s chief political analyst Brit Hume on Monday pushed back on previous comments made by President Trump about Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky after Ukraine’s successful drone attack earlier this week. Trump has claimed more than once that the Ukrainian leader lacked “cards” when it came to his country’s negotiations amid the over three-years long war with Russia. “Don’t tell us what we’re going to …

Full Story

DOD civilians can now aid DHS with ‘internal immigration enforcement,’ per memo

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has authorized Defense Department (DOD) civilian employees to aid Department of Homeland Security (DHS) operations at the southern border and with “internal immigration enforcement,” in some cases for no pay, according to a new memo released Monday. DOD civilians can now travel to support DHS with the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement, though it is unclear whether they would volunteer …

Full Story

Pentagon official: Cutting off Harvard project endangers national security

A Pentagon official begged her bosses not to cancel a Harvard University grant aimed at curtailing biological threats, arguing that pulling it would pose “grave and immediate harm to national security.” The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency’s (DARPA) director of contracting said the grant funded a Harvard research team that had reached a “pivotal juncture” in a project addressing the “biological threat landscape,” according …

Full Story

On Our Radar

Upcoming things we’re watching on our beat:

Army Secretary Daniel Driscoll and Army Chief of Staff Gen. Randy George will testify on the service’s FY-2026 posture and budget request before the House Armed Services Committee tomorrow at 10 a.m.
Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Jim Risch (R-Idaho), will speak on “The Future of U.S. Foreign Policy in the Middle East” at Hudson Institute tomorrow at 4 p.m.

In Other News

Branch out with a different read from The Hill:

Boulder suspect’s family to be taken into federal custody, Noem says

The family of the suspect in the recent attack in Boulder, Colo., is set to be taken into federal custody, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said Tuesday. “Today, the Department of Homeland Security and ICE are taking the family of suspected Boulder, Colorado terrorist and illegal alien Mohamed …

Full Story

On Tap Tomorrow

Events in and around the defense world:

The Atlantic Council will have a virtual discussion on “Future Directions for Transatlantic Economic Relations” at 9 a.m
A House Foreign Affairs subcommittee will hold a hearing on “Assessing the Challenges Facing NATO” at 10 a.m.
The Center for Strategic and International Studies will have an online conversation on “America’s ‘Golden Dome’ Explained” at 10 a.m.
The Air & Space Forces Association will host a talk on “Insights from recent expedition to the ISS” at 10 a.m.
A Senate Foreign Relations subpanel will hold a hearing on “China’s Malign Influence in Africa” at 2:30 p.m.
A House Armed Services subcommittee will hear from Navy and Marine Corps officials on “Navy Programs and Capabilities for Seapower and Projection Force” at 3 p.m.

What We’re Reading

News we’ve flagged from other outlets:

Allvin calls Ukraine drone strikes a wake-up call for US air defense (Military Times)
Despite Golden Dome, Space Force budget would shrink again under 2026 spending plan (Defense One)
Ukraine hid attack drones in Russia. These videos show what happened next. (The New York Times)

Trending Today

Two key stories on The Hill right now:

Kavanaugh signals Supreme Court will soon decide constitutionality of banning AR-15s

The Supreme Court on Monday declined to take up a case that involves whether possessing AR-15s is protected by the Second Amendment, but the court’s … Read more

Trump bill takes unfriendly fire from GOP allies

President Trump’s “big, beautiful bill” took unfriendly fire from several White House allies Tuesday, including Elon Musk, complicating its path out … Read more