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WASHINGTON — <\/span>Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is launching an office of religious affairs, the latest of his faith-related reforms at the Pentagon. <\/p>\n He announced in a speech<\/a> Wednesday that the office will help offer \u201cfirst-class religious support\u201d and will report directly to him.<\/p>\n \u201cOur department is, you might say, putting on the full armor of God, because while we wage physical war, we all know the real battle is spiritual,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Hegseth has infused his evangelical Christianity<\/a> into his leadership of the Pentagon<\/a>, hosting Christian worship services<\/a> for employees and often speaking of the United States as a Christian nation.<\/p>\n The Office of Religious Affairs, or ORA, will advocate for military chaplains and religious support \u201cat the highest level of the Department,\u201d according to a Pentagon statement. It will not \u201ccompel religious participation, favor one faith, or diminish the rights of personnel of any faith or lack thereof.\u201d<\/p>\n Some criticism of the initiative surfaced quickly.<\/p>\n The Pentagon \u201cowes it to the nation\u2019s service members to defend religious freedom,\u201d said Rachel Laser, head of Americans United for Separation of Church, which has sued the Pentagon over its worship services. \u201cHegseth\u2019s latest announcement violates that promise by elevating Christianity to an even higher role in shaping U.S. military policy.\u201d <\/p>\n Other federal agencies have had religious or faith-based offices, which were established under President George W. Bush and were continued in different forms under the Obama and Biden administrations. President Donald Trump established a White House Faith Office<\/a> and had a similar effort during his first term.<\/p>\n Shaun Casey, a religion scholar, led the State Department\u2019s Office of Religion and Global Affairs during the Obama administration. The office did not promote religion or spiritual well-being, he said. \u201cIt was there to understand what were the political implications of lived religion in the various hot spots around the world.\u201d<\/p>\n The leader of the new office has not been named. A Pentagon memo said the religious affairs director will coordinate spiritual resources, including \u201cfaith-based homeschool support for military families.\u201d Hegseth has also pushed the military school system to introduce more coursework<\/a> that draws from conservative and Christian influences.<\/p>\n The memo mentions \u201cfaith-based initiatives supporting Department-wide suicide reduction.\u201d In recent years, the military has become increasingly dependent on chaplains to help address the growing numbers of troops in mental health distress<\/a>. Hegseth has said he wants chaplains to focus more on God and less on therapeutic \u201cself-help and self-care.\u201d<\/p>\n The secretary has pushed other changes within the military\u2019s chaplain corps, which provides spiritual care to troops. He ordered chaplains, who are commissioned officers, to no longer wear their rank on their uniform but instead be identified by religious insignia.<\/p>\n The Defense Department also slashed the number of religious affiliations<\/a> it officially recognizes, down to 31 from more than 200 previously recognized traditions. The list no longer includes atheists, Unitarian Universalists, pagans and Wiccans.<\/p>\n Hegseth spoke directly to chaplains in his address Wednesday at Marine Corps Base Quantico in Virginia. Using Christian-inflected language, he said: \u201cLive your calling. Stand firm. Preach truth. Minister to the flock.\u201d<\/p>\n He then quoted from the Bible: \u201cThe Lord is on my side; I will not fear. What can man do unto me?\u201d<\/p>\n ___<\/p>\n Associated Press religion coverage receives support through the AP\u2019s collaboration<\/a> with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n