The USNS César Chavez (T-AKE 14), a supply vessel named after the farmworker-turned-civil rights icon, will not be renamed, the Pentagon confirmed earlier this month.
The decision comes after two California Democrats, Representatives Gil Cisneros (CA-31) and Sam Liccardo (CA-16), pressed Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to preserve the ship’s name, arguing that Chávez’s life story embodies service, sacrifice, and the spirit of America.
The ruling halts speculation that the Chavez would join a growing list of Navy ships flagged for renaming as part of a wider effort under President Donald Trump’s second term. That campaign began in June with the surprise renaming of the USNS Harvey Milk.
For now, Chávez’s name and legacy stay afloat.
The Push to Preserve Chávez’s Legacy
The USNS César Chavez has always been more than steel and hull. For supporters, the vessel represents the journey of a man who enlisted in the Navy at 19, endured segregation, and went on to become one of the most consequential labor leaders in American history.
In their July letter to Secretary Hegseth, Cisneros and Liccardo laid out the case.
“The Department of Defense has established clear criteria for naming military assets: consider historical context, recognize national service, and minimize cost. USNS César Chavez meets those standards,” they wrote.
The letter pointed to Chávez’s service in the Western Pacific after World War II, where discrimination against Mexican American sailors shaped his lifelong fight for dignity and equality.
Chávez would go on to co-found the National Farm Workers Union with Dolores Huerta and Gilbert Padilla. That union later merged into the United Farm Workers, which became a cornerstone of the American labor and civil rights movements.
For Cisneros, himself a Navy veteran and former undersecretary of defense for personnel and readiness, the connection between Chávez’s service and his legacy is straightforward.
“Mr. Chávez is an American hero who dedicated his life to our country, from the Navy to the labor movement,” Cisneros said in a statement.
The Pentagon agreed.
In a written response, the Department of Defense declared there are “no plans to rename USNS César Chavez.”
Politics of Naming and Renaming
The Chávez decision is not happening in isolation.
In June, the Navy renamed the USNS Harvey Milk after Navy Chief Petty Officer Oscar V. Peterson, a World War II Medal of Honor recipient who fought in the Battle of the Coral Sea.
The move stunned many in the Bay Area and beyond, stripping the only Navy vessel named after the slain San Francisco supervisor and gay rights pioneer.
Chief Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell explained at the time that the renaming effort reflected the priorities of President Trump and Secretary Hegseth.
The administration has cast the campaign as a way to highlight “warrior ethos” and emphasize figures tied to battlefield valor rather than broader social movements.
For Liccardo, the Chávez ruling raises an obvious question: why Chávez and not Milk?
“This response raises questions of what defines ‘warrior ethos,’” Liccardo said. “I welcome a response from Secretary Hegseth on why Bay Area hero and civil rights icon Harvey Milk’s legacy won’t be preserved under the same criteria.”
The issue has ignited debate about whose stories deserve to sail under the Navy flag.
The Chávez vessel, tied to a Latino leader with direct Navy service, passed the test.
The Milk vessel, tied to a Navy veteran who was later a groundbreaking politician and activist, did not. That line, critics argue, seems drawn more by politics than by principle.
ICYMI: After our push, the U.S. Navy will keep the name of the USNS Cesar Chavez — honoring a San Jose hero, Navy veteran, and champion for farmworkers’ rights. His legacy reminds us that our nation is at its best when we fight for fairness, dignity, and opportunity for all. pic.twitter.com/pQjeBCIa4n
— Rep. Sam Liccardo (@RepLiccardo) August 18, 2025
What Comes Next for Navy Ship Names
The Chávez decision may be final, but the broader campaign is far from over.
Reports indicate other ships could still be in the crosshairs.
Vessels named after civil rights leaders, labor icons, and pioneering women—including the USNS Thurgood Marshall (T-AO 211), USNS Medgar Evers (T-AKE-13), USNS Harriet Tubman (T-AO 213), USNS Dolores Huerta (T-AO 214), USNS Lucy Stone (T-AO-209), and USNS Ruth Bader Ginsburg (T-AO 212)—have all been floated as potential candidates for renaming.
For now, the Chávez name stands as a rare win for those resisting the purge.
Liccardo called it “a win not only for the Latino community and our veterans; it’s a win for all Americans who believe service, leadership, and sacrifice deserve honor, not erasure.”
Cisneros echoed the sentiment, arguing that “uplifting the life and legacy of César Chávez should not be a partisan issue.”