Hegseth Details Pentagon Religious Affairs Office

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced a Pentagon Office of Religious Affairs to advocate for chaplains and coordinate religious policy, with a director reporting directly to him and an initial budget plan due within 60 days. The office will develop ways to support and assess troops’ spiritual readiness; the Pentagon says it will not compel participation, favor a faith, or infringe on the rights of people of any or no religion. Religious-freedom advocates warn that Hegseth’s promotion of evangelical Christianity could give Christianity greater influence in military policy, and the Freedom From Religion Foundation plans to seek records about the office’s funding, staffing and assessment methods. Hegseth also said firings and cuts have reduced the number of generals and admirals by about 20 percent.