- Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said the historic role of U.S. military chaplains has been "degraded" by political correctness.
- The spiritual duties of military chaplains have been minimized by secular humanism, added Hegseth.
- Hegseth's social media criticism of the chaplaincy is the latest in series of objections against so-called "woke" policies in the ranks.
In his first year as Defense Secretary, Pete Hegseth has moved against several components of the U.S. Armed Forces, claiming they’ve been diminished by political correctness.
Now Hegseth is speaking out about one of the oldest communities in the American military — the chaplain corps.
In a video posted Tuesday evening on his X account, Hegseth said the “weakening” of the chaplain corps is “a real problem” facing the armed services.
George Washington, noted the defense secretary, established the military’s chaplain corps in 1775 — one of his first actions as general of the Continental Army.
Washington, said Hegseth, understood the importance of chaplains in the ranks when he wrote: “The blessing and protection of heaven are at all times necessary — but especially so in times of public distress and danger.”
For two centuries, the military’s chaplain corps performed its role as the spiritual leader for American men and women in uniform.
“But sadly, as 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,” said Hegseth.
“Faith and virtue were traded for self-help and self-care.”
Hegseth cited the current “Army Spiritual Fitness Guide” as evidence of the military’s growing disconnect from the divine.
The guide, he said, “mentions God one time, that’s it.” Meanwhile, the guide mentions “feelings” 11 times and “playfulness” nine times. There are zero mentions of “virtue.”
“The guide relies on New Age notions, saying that the soldier’s spirit consists of consciousness, creativity and connection.”
Eighty-two percent of American military members are religious, according to the guide. “Yet, ironically, it alienates our war fighters of faith by pushing secular humanism,” said Hegseth. “In short, it’s unacceptable and unserious — so we’re tossing it.”
The Defense secretary said he will sign a directive immediately eliminating the use of the Army Spiritual Fitness Guide.
“These types of training materials have no place in the War Department,” he said. “Our chaplains are chaplains, not emotional support officers — and we’re going to treat them as such.”
Additional reforms, he added, will be coming to the ranks in the coming days and weeks.
“There will be a top-down cultural shift putting spiritual well-being on the same footing as mental and physical health as a first step toward creating a supportive environment for our warriors and their souls,” said Hegseth.
“We’re going to restore the esteemed position of chaplains as moral anchors for our fighting force.”
The secretary ended the video citing the 1956 Army Chaplain’s Manual, identifying the chaplain as “the pastor and the shepherd of the souls entrusted to his care.”
Serving as a military chaplain, concluded Hegseth, is a “high and sacred calling.”
“But this only works if our shepherds are actually given the freedom to boldly guide and care for their flock.
“Stay tuned for more. We’re going to make the chaplain corps great again.”
So what do U.S. military chaplains do?
Military chaplains are commissioned officers charged with caring for the “spiritual, moral and emotional well-being” of military members and their families.
They are tasked with observing the doctrines of their own faith — while supporting other denominations and ensuring the rights of others to observe their own respective faith.
Chaplains serve alongside fellow military personnel at bases and in combat zones and other deployments, but do not carry firearms. They also conduct worship services, perform religious rites and provide confidential counseling.
Chaplain candidates can be men or women and are required to obtain an ecclesiastical endorsement from their respective faith. They must also hold a graduate degree in theological or religious studies.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints endorses scores of chaplains across all branches of the U.S. Armed Forces.
Meanwhile, Brigham Young University offers a Masters of Arts in Chaplaincy for students interested in becoming a chaplain in the military or in civilian capacities.
Divisive moves against ‘wokeness’ in the ranks
Hegseth’s intention to “reset” the chaplain corps is the latest in a series of often partisan directives that the Trump administration has made in 2025 with the stated intent to distance the U.S. military from so-called “political correctness.”
— In a September gathering of hundreds of generals and admirals, Trump said the American military “will not be politically correct when it comes to defending American freedom — and we will be a fighting and winning machine.”
In the same meeting, Hegseth said the military has been forced in the past to focus on the wrong things “by foolish and reckless politicians.”
“For too long, we’ve promoted too many uniform leaders for the wrong reasons based on their race, based on gender quotas, based on historic so-called ‘firsts.’”
Hegseth also attacked so-called “woke” policies and practices that he said diverted the military from its mission to defend the country and win wars.
Now, he said, there are “no more identity months, DEI offices, dudes in dresses, no more climate change worship, no more division, distraction or gender delusion. No more debris.”
Hegseth’s announcement prompted an indignant response from several Native American leaders, who called Wounded Knee a “massacre.”
Milk was a former Navy officer who later became one of the country’s first openly gay officials, winning a position on the San Francisco board of supervisors.
He was assassinated on Nov. 27, 1978, by former city supervisor Dan White.
Peterson was a Navy chief who was posthumously awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor for his heroic actions in combat during World War II.
“People want to be proud of the ship they’re sailing in,” said Hegseth, “and so we’re renaming it after a chief, a Navy chief.”
California Democratic Rep. Nancy Pelosi, the former House speaker, said pulling Milk’s name from the replenishment oiler “is a shameful, vindictive erasure of those who fought to break down barriers for all to chase the American dream.”
— And in January, Trump signed an executive order directing all elements of the U.S. Armed Forces to operate “free from any preference” based on race or sex.
The president wrote that as the military’s commander in chief, he is “committed to meritocracy and to the elimination of race-based and sex-based discrimination within the Armed Forces of the United States.”
“No individual or group within our Armed Forces should be preferred or disadvantaged on the basis of sex, race, ethnicity, color, or creed.”
Later, Hegseth called for the elimination of quotas, objectives and goals that would include admission policies at U.S. service academies.
“No Department of Defense component will establish sex-based, race-based or ethnicity-based goals for organizational composition, academic admission, or career fields.”
Hegseth’s admission policy directive came after a federal judge last year ruled that the U.S. Naval Academy could continue considering race in its admissions process. In that case, the judge found that military cohesion and other national security factors mean the school should not be subjected to the same standards as civilian universities, Navy Times reported.
The Naval Academy had continued to employ its affirmative action admissions program even after the U.S. Supreme Court in 2023 rejected such policies at civilian colleges and universities. That ruling was an outcome long sought by many U.S. conservatives who have complained that white and certain other applicants were being disadvantaged, Reuters reported.
Hegseth has also pushed several other changes at the Pentagon since taking over earlier this year. He notably said that he didn’t want to see any “fat generals or admirals” in an effort to not have overweight troops.
He also implemented policies to remove transgender individuals from the U.S. military, framed at an effort to remove “wokeness” from the nation’s troops.
— Lauren Irwin contributed to this story