Hegseth announces ‘Office of Religious Affairs’ in speech on Pentagon policy
U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced a new Office of Religious Affairs at the Pentagon, reporting directly to him. The Defense Department says the office will elevate spiritual readiness, advocate for resources, and address policy barriers affecting religious affairs and free exercise. Hegseth also announced an Autonomous Warfare Command; Pope Leo XIV and the U.S. bishops have warned about the dangers of autonomous weapons. His speech also included plans to cut reserved positions for admirals and generals by 20% and remarks about who should serve in the armed forces.
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Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced a Pentagon Office of Religious Affairs on Sept. 30, saying it would report directly to him and give military chaplains a stronger voice in department policy and resources. The Archdiocese for the Military Services, USA, welcomed the initiative, saying it could improve religious support for service members and their families. 1
Hegseth introduced the office during a speech at Marine Corps Base Quantico, Virginia. He said it would provide chaplains a direct line to the secretary, with no intermediate staff filters, and would protect budgets, address infrastructure needs and strengthen religious support. 1
The Defense Department described the office as a direct-report unit intended to make spiritual readiness part of combat effectiveness. It said the service chaplaincies would remain the military’s primary providers of religious support, while the new office would advocate for them, identify unmet needs and work to remove policy barriers. The department also said the office would not compel religious participation or favor one faith, and that religious support would remain voluntary and available to personnel of any faith or none.
Hegseth said the former system left chaplains “buried echelons deep” and allowed officials without expertise in faith or religion to shape their work. He blamed the structure for inadequate resources, budget cuts and insufficient support for base chapels, and said the new office would reduce bureaucratic delays between field needs and senior decisions. 1
The Archdiocese for the Military Services said it hoped the office would strengthen support for military members, their families and chaplains. It said elevating spiritual readiness and speeding decisions could help resolve longstanding constraints on chaplaincy support, and said it welcomed implementation of the plan. 1
The archdiocese has also supported other Hegseth changes affecting chaplains, including removing an official spiritual fitness guide and changing chaplain uniform insignia to emphasize religious affiliation rather than military rank. Its support for the new office comes alongside Archbishop Timothy Broglio’s criticism of other administration actions, including the Iran war and previous military threats and operations. 1
Hegseth also announced an “Autonomous Warfare Command” to develop autonomous military capabilities and said he planned to reduce the number of admiral and general positions by 20%. The OSV report noted that Pope Leo XIV and U.S. Catholic bishops have raised concerns about autonomous weapons.
In the speech, Hegseth invoked the biblical phrase “putting on the full armor of God.” The report said the wording appears in St. Paul’s Letter to the Ephesians; the Archdiocese for the Military Services had not immediately responded to OSV News’ request for comment on the announcement.*
Military chaplaincy balances religious freedom, state authority, and spiritual care
Military chaplaincy is best understood not as the state directing religion, nor as the Church endorsing every military policy, but as a practical arrangement that allows service members to receive spiritual care while preserving the distinct responsibilities of civil and religious authority.
For the Church, chaplaincy answers a real pastoral need. Military life can separate people from ordinary parish care, so chaplains bring prayer, the Gospel, and the sacraments to service members and their families. The Church regards this ministry as more than morale support: chaplains are priests serving in the name of Christ and the Church, called to accompany people through the particular hardships of military life.
That ministry need not imply that military service is automatically just. John Paul II described service to a country’s security and freedom as a contribution to peace when carried out rightly, while also presenting dialogue as the preferred means of resolving disputes and force, in exceptional circumstances, as a last resort for defending just rights or protecting the innocent. Chaplains therefore support the moral and spiritual formation of military personnel; they do not simply sanctify the use of force.
The arrangement also requires a clear boundary between Church and state. Civil authorities may organize the armed forces and make provision for chaplaincy, but the Church’s pastoral mission is not reducible to a state function. Catholic teaching recognizes legitimate political authority while reserving ultimate obedience to God; political authority must not claim the place that belongs to God.
So the balance is delicate: the state facilitates access to religious care, while chaplains remain ministers of their religious communities, responsible for serving people pastorally rather than becoming instruments of state messaging. Benedict XVI emphasized that chaplains need sound spiritual formation and the readiness to listen and engage with the difficulties of those entrusted to them. In that sense, military chaplaincy can serve both religious freedom and the human dignity of those who serve.