US defence secretary Pete Hegseth
US defence secretary Pete Hegseth has announced the creation of a Pentagon Office of Religious Affairs (ORA), marking the latest in a series of faith-related reforms at the Department of Defence headquarters.
“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,” Hegseth said in his address at Marine Corps Base Quantico in Virginia. The ORA will advocate for military chaplains and religious support “at the highest level of the Department, according to a Pentagon statement. The office will not “compel religious participation, favour one faith, or diminish the rights of personnel of any faith or lack thereof,” the statement added. However, according to a Pentagon, the religious affairs director would coordinate spiritual resources, including “faith-based home-school support for military families.”
A leader for the ORA has yet to be named.
“Hegseth’s latest announcement violates that promise by elevating Christianity to an even higher role in shaping US military policy,” Laser added. President Donald Trump has also established a White House Faith Office during his second term, following a similar initiative during his first term.
The Pentagon “owes it to the nation’s service members to defend religious freedom,” said Rachel Laser, president and CEO of Americans United for Separation of Church and State, which has sued the Pentagon over its worship services.