<p>War Secretary Pete Hegseth announced on Wednesday the establishment of a new Office of Religious Affairs during a speech to troops at Marine Corps Base Quantico. This office will provide a channel for chaplains to communicate directly with top officials at the Department of War.</p>
<p>Hegseth described the new office as part of a broader reform initiative at the Pentagon, which aims to integrate autonomous warfare and technology into military operations.</p>
<p>“Starting today, and for secretaries of war after me, the Office of Religious Affairs will report straight to the top,” Hegseth stated. “No staff filters, no bureaucratic dilution, a direct line to the secretary. This is not going to be a paper-pushing shop.”</p>
<p>The war secretary emphasized the importance of the Chaplain Corps, citing the high level of religiosity among service members. “Less than 5% of our force identifies as nonreligious,” he noted. “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.”</p>
<p>Hegseth previously indicated that 82% of troops identified as religious when he reduced the number of recognized faith codes from over 200 to 31 in March 2026.</p>
<p>“It is part of our efforts to return the Chaplain Corps to its core mission of serving the spiritual needs of our warfighters, 82% of whom identify as religious,” he explained. “The previous system had ballooned to well over 200 faith codes. It was impractical and unusable, and many codes were never used at all. An overwhelming majority of the military population used only six of the codes.”</p>
<p>When the updated list of recognized faiths was released, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was not classified as “Christian.” Following criticism from Senators John Curtis (R-UT) and Mike Lee (R-UT), the Pentagon revised the classification to include the faith under the “Christian” category.</p>
<p>In April 2026, Hegseth removed Maj. Gen. William Green Jr., the Army’s chief of chaplains, on the same day he dismissed the Army chief of staff, Gen. Randy George. Green had started his term in 2023, which was expected to last until 2027.</p>
<p>During the announcement of the new office, Hegseth referenced the Bible multiple times. He quoted Psalms 33:12, stating, “Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord.” He also mentioned the historical context of the nation’s founding, saying, “Two hundred fifty years ago, we rejected an earthly king, an ocean away, appealing instead to a heavenly king above.”</p>
<p>Hegseth concluded with a reference to the book of Isaiah, saying, “Lord, here I am. Send me. Send me to fight the redcoats. Send me to fight the communists. Send me to fight the Islamists. Send me.”</p>