US defence secretary Pete Hegseth is continuing efforts to boost the role of faith in military life, with the creation of the Office of Religious Affairs.
It will give military chaplains a “direct line” to Hegseth to promote the spiritual needs of soldiers without “bureaucratic dilution”, he said on Wednesday.
During his ‘State of the Forces’ speech at Marine Corps Base Quantico, the Pentagon chief said there was a “sacred duty [to provide] first-class religious support wherever we send our warriors”, because 95% of troops “recognise an Almighty God”.
“For far too long… It was an afterthought. Political correctness and secular humanism got a vote, chaplains did not. Budgets were cut, resourcing and manpower needs were ignored, base chapels fell apart. Decisions about faith and religion were made by secular careerists in cubicles and lawyers running around with red tape.”
Speaking about the sacrifices troops make, Hegseth said the “loss of religious community” was often overlooked: “For people of faith, that community isn’t just a ‘nice to have’. It’s an extension of their family, it’s their moral foundation, or personal or spiritual accountability, the very bedrock of their warrior ethos.”
Hegseth appealed to Christian imagery to justify military action, as he has in previous speeches, drawing both praise and criticism.
Drawing inspiration from Isaiah 6:8, he said: “Lord, here I am. Send me. Send me to fight the redcoats. Send me to fight the communists. Send me to fight the Islamists.”
He said that the American military continues to “appeal to heaven”, as it had done since its creation under George Washington in 1775.
Referencing Ephesians 6, Hegseth added: “Our department is, you might say, putting on the full armour of God. Because while we wage physical war, we all know the real battle is spiritual.”
Matthew D Taylor, a Christian theologian at the Georgetown University Center on Faith and Justice, said on X these appeals “represent a very dangerous and anti-democratic conflation of military service and religion”, as armed forces are supposed to represent and defend all people.
Rev Paul Brandeis Raushenbush, president of Interfaith Alliance, accused Hegseth of using the army as a “tool for advancing a violent crusader worldview”. He added his concerns that the new department would “continue to twist Christian doctrine to propagandize for unpopular wars.”
The Catholic Archdiocese for Military Services told EWTN it “appreciates” the announcement of a new office, in the hope it “will enhance and strengthen the support offered to the men, women and their families who serve in the military, and to the chaplain corps who strive to accompany our soldiers, sailors, and airmen across all service branches.”
A memo sent by Hegseth has ordered officials to co-ordinate research into the “spiritual fitness, spiritual readiness and spiritual resilience” in the force. He has also called for reports into unfunded or underfunded religious affairs in the department, including faith-based homeschooling for military families and the cost of religious facilities.
The defence secretary has led prayer services at the Pentagon for American troops in the Iran war. In April, he likened the rescue of a downed airman to the resurrection of Jesus. Some military chaplains alleged in July that Hegseth’s personal interpretation of Christianity had become a requirement in order to progress.
Additional reporting by Reuters.