Hegseth says he'll recenter military Chaplain Corps on faith

by · UPI

Dec. 17 (UPI) -- Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth said Tuesday he would restore the role of the Chaplain Corps, saying political correctness had reduced military clergy to "emotional support officers."

Hegseth announced in a roughly four-minute video posted to X what he called a "top down cultural shift" that he said would put "spiritual well being on the same footing as mental and physical health." The announcement by Hegseth reflects his focus on culture war issues at the Pentagon and follows other initiatives by the Trump administration to give religion a greater role in public life.

Hegseth said that recent cultural shifts had changed the role of the Chaplain Corps, which he said was "part of the ongoing war on warriors."

"In recent decades, its role has been degraded in an atmosphere of political correctness and secular humanism, chaplains have been minimized, viewed by many as therapists, instead of ministers," he said. "Faith and virtue were traded for self-help and self-care."

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Prominent evangelist Franklin Graham responded to the announcement by thanking Hegseth in a post on X.

The Chaplain Corps traces its origins to the Revolutionary War and was founded by George Washington when he was a general in the Continental Army. Since then, it's expanded to other military branches and has sought to be more inclusive of traditions outside of Christianity.

More recently, the Army released its Spiritual Fitness Guide that also stressed emotional intelligence and human connection.

But Hegseth called the document "unacceptable and unserious," pointing out that it only mentioned "God" a single time while mentioning "feelings" 11 times and "playfulness" nine times.

"The guide itself reports that around 82% of the military are religious, yet ironically, it alienates our war fighters of faith by pushing secular humanism," he said.

Hegseth did not offer specifics of what reforms he had had in mind. He quoted the 1956 Army Chaplain's manual that states that "the chaplain is the pastor and the shepherd of the souls entrusted to his care."

"This is a high and sacred calling," he said. "But this only works if our shepherds are actually given the freedom to boldly guide and care for their flock."