Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s fiery speech to troops at Marine Corps Base Quantico in Virginia included the creation of the Office of Religious Affairs, providing a direct channel between chaplains and top officials at the Department of Defense.
He said the new office is tasked with aligning and issuing “policies concerning religious affairs on behalf of the secretary of war.”
It will ensure resources are provided and policy is “properly aligned to prioritize the free exercise of religion and the spiritual readiness across the Total Force,” according to a Wednesday memo.
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“Less than 5% of our force identifies as nonreligious,” Mr. Hegseth asserted in his Wednesday speech. “Ninety-five percent of our force recognizes an Almighty God. Accordingly, our department therefore has a sacred duty: first-class religious support wherever we send our warriors.”
The office will also make sure the department prioritizes and obtains funding and resources for “delivery of religious ministry,” chaplains and their training, chapel youth programs, faith-based homeschool support for military families, and contracted services from faith-based nonfederal entities.
Mr. Hegseth has frequently invoked biblical teachings in his time as defense chief.
The secretary launched his “Send Me Tour” in September by using the Bible verse Isaiah 6:8 as a military recruitment slogan, drawing cheers from the MAGA base and criticism from some religious and political pundits.
The memo said the new office will “support and assess spiritual fitness, spiritual readiness, and spiritual resilience across the Total Force.”
Its director is also expected to represent the secretary on all matters of religious affairs in engagements with Congress, external governmental departments and agencies, and civilian religious endorsing organizations.
Lawmakers have questioned Mr. Hegseth about his Christian faith and his focus on Christianity within the military.
During a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing, Sen. Jack Reed, Rhode Island Democrat, questioned Hegseth regarding what the senator described as an “intense interest in Christianity” and nationalism, raising concerns about whether this stance maintains a neutral environment for service members of all faiths.
“Nothing in this memorandum shall be construed to compel religious participation or to diminish the free exercise rights of any Service member, civilian employee, or family member of any faith or no faith,” Wednesday’s memo reads.
In March, Mr. Hegseth announced two major reforms to the military’s Chaplain Corps.
Military chaplains are replacing their officer rank insignia with symbols reflecting their religious affiliation on combat and working uniforms. Rank insignia remains on service and dress uniforms.
The Defense Department also cut the number of officially recognized religious categories from over 200 to 31.
Mr. Hegseth said most service members use just six of the codes.
Utah GOP Sens. Mike Lee and John Curtis criticized the list’s exclusion of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from the Christian category, prompting the Pentagon to remove the Christian prefix from all denominational categories.
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