Pete Hegseth creates a Pentagon Office of Religious Affairs reporting directly to him

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is creating a new Office of Religious Affairs at the Pentagon, saying it will provide stronger religious support to service members and report directly to him. The office will advocate for military chaplains and coordinate religious resources across the Defense Department. Pentagon officials say it will not require religious participation, favor one faith, or restrict the rights of people of other faiths or no faith. The initiative comes as Hegseth has placed greater emphasis on religion, particularly Christianity, during his tenure. He has hosted Christian worship services at the Pentagon, used biblical language in speeches and urged military chaplains to focus more explicitly on spiritual ministry. Critics argue the changes risk blurring the constitutional line between government and religion. Rachel Laser of Americans United for Separation of Church and State said the Pentagon should protect religious freedom without elevating Christianity in military policy. The new office is not entirely unprecedented. Previous administrations have created faith- or religion-related offices in other federal agencies, though their missions have varied. An Obama-era State Department office, for example, focused on understanding religion’s role in international affairs rather than promoting religious practice. The Pentagon says the new office could coordinate initiatives including faith-based homeschool support for military families and religious components of suicide-prevention efforts. Hegseth has also made other changes affecting military chaplains, including directing them to emphasize religious insignia rather than rank on their uniforms. The Defense Department has additionally reduced the number of officially recognized religious affiliations from more than 200 to 31. The revised list excludes several previously recognized categories, including atheists, Unitarian Universalists, pagans and Wiccans. Speaking to military chaplains at Marine Corps Base Quantico, Hegseth encouraged them to embrace their religious mission, telling them to “live your calling” and “preach truth,” before quoting from the Bible. Source: Associated Press, October 2, 2026. Written by Tiffany Stanley, Associated Press Global Religion team.