US defence secretary Pete Hegseth has announced the creation of a Pentagon Office of Religious Affairs (ORA), marking the latest in a series of faith-related reforms at the Department of Defence headquarters.Also Read: Pete Hegseth to cut generals & admirals in US military by 20%; Pentagon to create new drone commandThe ORA will help offer “first-class religious support” and will report directly to him.“Our department is, you might say, putting on the full armour of God, because while we wage physical war, we all know the real battle is spiritual,” Hegseth said in his address at Marine Corps Base Quantico in Virginia.Since taking over as Pentagon chief, Hegseth has hosted Christian worship services for employees and frequently described the United States as a “Christian nation.”
What is Office of Religious Affairs
According to a Pentagon statement, the ORA will advocate for military chaplains and religious support “at the highest level of the Department.”The office will not “compel religious participation, favour one faith, or diminish the rights of personnel of any faith or lack thereof,” the statement added.A leader for the ORA has yet to be named. However, according to a Pentagon, the religious affairs director would coordinate spiritual resources, including “faith-based home-school support for military families.”The memo also cites “faith-based initiatives supporting Department-wide suicide reduction.”
Criticism surfaces
The Pentagon “owes it to the nation’s service members to defend religious freedom,” said Rachel Laser, president and CEO of Americans United for Separation of Church and State, which has sued the Pentagon over its worship services.“Hegseth’s latest announcement violates that promise by elevating Christianity to an even higher role in shaping US military policy,” Laser added.Other federal agencies have established religious or faith-based offices. Such initiatives began under President George W Bush and continued in various forms under the Obama and Biden administrations.President Donald Trump has also established a White House Faith Office during his second term, following a similar initiative during his first term.
