In his September 30 ‘State of the Force’ speech before 600 E-6s and O-3s, staff sergeants, and captains at Quantico, Secretary of War Pete Hegseth formally announced the “establishment” of a new Office of Religious Affairs (ORA) for the military chaplaincy. Reading…
What’s this all about, Pete?
America may be entering one of the strangest intersections of warfare, technology, politics, masculinity and religion in modern history. On Sept. 30, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced the Pentagon will establish an Office of Religious Affairs reporting directly to him….
Hegseth plans Pentagon Office of Religious Affairs
U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth plans to create an Office of Religious Affairs within the Pentagon that will “strengthen the moral, ethical and spiritual readiness of our warfighters.” Hegseth announced the new office Sept. 30 in a speech laden…
Laser takes aim at Hegseth and Rollins for proselytizing
The U.S. government was founded to serve the American people, not to proselytize them, said Rachel Laser, president of Americans United for Separation of Church and State. But U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth and Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins have…
Southern Baptist Preacher Tells Pentagon Worship Service that God Will ‘Fight Their Battles’
An influential Southern Baptist pastor stood Wednesday (Aug. 19) in the headquarters of the world’s largest military and, with no sense of irony, preached a message of hope for Pentagon leaders by pointing to multiple biblical passages where God miraculously…
Why removing a distinct religious code for Native American military service members will make their needs invisible
When the Pentagon cut roughly 180 faiths from its religious affiliation codes, shrinking the list from more than 200 categories to 31 in May 2026, it folded “Native American religion” into the broader category of “other religion” – one of many faiths the change…
Latest Pentagon Revision of Religion Affiliation Codes Creates Fresh Problems
The Pentagon is learning what any graduate student in religious studies could’ve told them: categorizing faith traditions sounds like it should be simple, but it is actually quite complex. And the stakes now are much higher than a class grade….
Lawsuit seeks to protect Stars and Stripes from Hegseth’s control
A lawsuit filed against the Pentagon seeks to reverse its takeover of Stars and Stripes, the news organization that provided independent news coverage for the U.S. military since 1861. Federal regulations governing the publication ensured its ability to provide “a…
Pentagon-Vatican meeting latest flash point in Trump’s clash with religious leaders
On Wednesday (April 8), Vice President JD Vance stood in front of Air Force Two in Budapest and was confronted with the latest chapter in an emerging, global drama: rising tensions between the U.S. military and religious leaders.
Hegseth declares war on Defense Dept. reporters, photographers
The U.S. Department of Defense is waging a multi-front war against American news media outlets over negative coverage of the war in Iran and unflattering photos of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. The war is being fought on three fronts. First,…
At Pentagon, Hegseth prays ‘every round find its mark’
Pete Hegseth’s creation of evangelical worship services at the Pentagon already is controversial; now he’s used one of those services to invoke God’s favor on the U.S. attacks on Iran. Speaking to staff gathered for worship at the Pentagon March…
AU sues for information on Pentagon and Labor prayer meetings
Americans United for Separation of Church and State has filed lawsuits against the U.S. Department of Defense and the U.S. Department of Labor demanding public records related to monthly prayer meetings hosted by both agencies. The Freedom of Information Act…