Pete Hegseth is waging a pointless and damaging war on military chaplains

Hegseth’s crusade against the Chaplain Corps undermines readiness, trust, and pluralism

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Having fixed all the other problems in the military, at least in his mind, Defense/War Secretary Pete Hegseth is now going after chaplains.

Pete Hegseth (screenshot via X/Twitter)

To make sense of what he’s doing, you need to know a few things.

First, back in August, the Army released an updated 112-page “Spiritual Fitness Guide” meant to help soldiers “develop a sense of purpose and mental resilience.” While it doesn’t directly promote Christianity, it works off of the faulty premise that religion is inherently good because it provides “inner strength.”

That’s obviously not true. It can for some people, but the rest of us can find inner strength outside of organized religion or belief in the supernatural. In fact, in 2011, when the Army surveyed members to assess their spiritual strength, atheists argued it was unfair to imply they were unfit simply because they weren’t religious. They had meaning and purpose in their lives, they argued, even if those things didn’t arise from religious faith.

That criticism hasn’t gone anywhere, unfortunately, because the Army is still treating faith as a virtue. The guide acts like spiritual strength is as important as physical and mental strength.

Maj. Gen. William Green Jr., chief of chaplains for the Army, said the service must be equipped to lead service members to success in both war and life.

The guide provides field-tested advice for navigating the uncertainties that may come with future large-scale operations, he said.

“These pages are not just a culmination of shared experience; they highlight the remarkable operational effectiveness of spiritual strength,” Green wrote in the guide.

I’m not denying that spirituality can provide inner peace and the strength to overcome challenges for certain people. But it’s by no means the only way to achieve that. If there’s any consolation, it’s that the updated guide alludes to that very notion:

From an operational perspective, the Soldier’s source of strength fuels their purpose and will to fight. For some, the centerpiece may be God, family, community, or patriotism; for others, it may stem from a desire for personal growth, integrity, or the bonds formed with fellow Soldiers in shared experiences.

It would be better if the entire manual worked off of that premise instead of just acknowledging that in a single paragraph. But that’s the guide for you. It’s hardly the biggest problem in the military but it’s indicative of how the U.S. military treats religion.

Second, you should know the Chaplain Corps excludes Humanists and atheists regardless of their qualifications. The military has a diverse coalition of chaplains meant to provide spiritual nourishment for soldiers who seek them out, yet those chaplains “are not adequately trained to ensure that nontheist service members are receiving the support they need,” according to the Secular Coalition for America. Plenty of Humanists have chaplain credentials that are just as difficult to acquire as many religious people in those positions, but exclusively non-religious chaplains are not allowed in the fold.

In 2013, there was even a proposed congressional amendment to a must-pass defense bill to add non-theistic chaplains to the Chaplain Corps, but it was rejected. One Republican even argued that if atheists were allowed to be chaplains, they would tell the families of dead soldiers that their loved ones were now “worm food.” (It was a gross mischaracterization of what professional Humanist chaplains do.)

Third, over the past decade, the military as a whole has attempted to be more welcoming to people outside traditional religions.

One of the ways they’ve done this is by allowing soldiers to more accurately describe their beliefs. Before 2014, there were a limited number of “faith codes” you could use to describe yourself. They included “Muslim, Hindu, Wiccan, Jewish, Buddhist, or one of more than 100 Christian denominations.” But non-religious soldiers could only choose from “atheist” or “no religious preference.”

After 2014, the list was expanded to include “Humanist.” That wasn’t just a symbolic move either; the change made it easier for non-religious soldiers to gather in person and have access to the same perks that religious groups received.

In 2017, the list was expanded again to include even more specific non-religious categories like “Heathen,” “Deism,” “No Preference,” and “No Religion.”

The goal was to allow military members to accurately describe their beliefs, with the understanding that the spectrum of non-religious thought wasn’t as simple as just saying “I’m not.” Much like there are many denominations of Christianity, each of which has meaning for people who belong to those groups, there are non-religious people who believe “Humanist” or “Deist” or “Agnostic” more accurately describes who they are and what they believe.

So here’s where we’re at: The military has always treated faith like it’s a net positive for good soldiers albeit using language that has become less overtly Christian over time. But at the same time, they’ve become more open to the diversity of thought in an increasingly non-religious country.

And now Pete Hegseth wants to blow up that progress like it’s a fishing boat in the Caribbean.

Hegseth, a Christian Nationalist who wants to turn the military into crusaders for Christ, posted a video on Tuesday saying he intended to overhaul the military’s Chaplain Corps because they weren’t religious enough for his liking, specifically targeting the Spiritual Fitness Guide. He also said the list of faiths and beliefs would be “simplified” to get rid of all that hard-fought diversity.

I’m here to tell you about a real problem facing our nation’s military. It’s one you’re probably not aware of, but it’s a really important one, and it’s been going on for far too long: the weakening of our Chaplain Corps.

You see, chaplains are intended to be the spiritual and moral backbone of our nation’s forces. George Washington established the Chaplain Corps in 1775, one of his first actions as general of the Continental Army. Congress authorized chaplains for the Navy that very same year. In Washington’s general orders, he explained their importance: “The blessing and protection of Heaven are at all times necessary, but especially so in times of public distress and danger.”

For about 200 years, the Chaplain Corps continued its role as the spiritual leader of our service members, serving our men and women in times of hardship and ministering to their souls. 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. Faith and virtue were traded for self-help and self-care.

If you need proof, just look at the current Army Spiritual Fitness Guide. In well over 100 pages, it mentions “God” one time. That’s it. It mentions “feelings” 11 times. It even mentions “playfulness,” whatever that is, 9 times. There’s zero mention of “virtue.” The guide relies on New Age notions, saying that the soldiers spirit consists of “consciousness, creativity, and connection.” The guide itself reports that around 82% of the military are religious. Yet, ironically, it alienates our warfighters of faith by pushing Secular Humanism. In short, it’s unacceptable and unserious, so we’re tossing it.

I have a directive right here that I will sign today to eliminate the use of the Army Spiritual Fitness Guide, effective immediately. These types of training materials have no place in the War Department. Our chaplains are chaplains, not emotional support officers, and we’re going to treat them as such.

That’s why today at my direction, we are also simplifying the faith and belief coding system. In recent years, it ballooned to over 200 overly complex faith and belief codes. An overwhelming majority of the military population only uses six codes. Eleven are not used by anyone. We’re going to streamline it and move it to a new list of religious affiliation codes so that our chaplains can actually use it to minister better to the flock.

More reforms will be coming in the days and weeks ahead. 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.

We’re gonna restore the esteemed position of chaplains as moral anchors for our fighting force. The 1956 Army chaplain’s manual states, “The chaplain is the pastor and the shepherd of the souls entrusted to his care.” This 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 are going to make the Chaplain Corps great again. And Merry Christmas.

To say that the role of chaplains has been degraded because of “Secular Humanism” is downright comical given that Secular Humanists aren’t even allowed to become military chaplains. It’s also a lie to claim chaplains can’t do their jobs properly when they have plenty of leeway to meet soldiers where they’re at. They’re not prevented from talking about God, but in theory, good chaplains are supposed to be able to minister to people outside their faith as well. Hegseth makes it sound like the Spiritual Fitness Guide ties the hands of religious chaplains from doing what they think is best. There’s literally no evidence of that.

Hegseth apparently did a Ctrl+F for random terms like “playfulness” without offering any context into how those words are used. For what it’s worth, here’s what the Spiritual Fitness Guide says about playfulness:

Playfulness, as a component of creativity, embodies the spirit of exploration and joy in overcoming challenges. In a military context, playfulness is essential for Soldiers, as it allows them to engage in training and problem-solving in a way that feels less rigid and more dynamic. It also gives them a space to relax and enjoy life. When Soldiers embrace playfulness, they not only enhance their creativity but also solidify their understanding of life through positive experiences.

So… creativity and the ability to adapt. Sounds perfectly fine! But Hegseth thinks it’s too woke.

While we’re at it, the “consciousness, creativity, and connection” section of the manual is hardly “New Age” bullshit at all. Those are just quick, alliterative ways of describing personality traits that make for better soldiers. The manual says good soldiers are “aware of and able to evaluate one’s thoughts, feelings, and surroundings,” able to “generate novel ideas, approaches, and solutions that reflect individual expression and innovative thinking,” and capable of building bridges with the people around them. Seriously, that’s it. That’s what the 3 C’s are all about. But Hegseth, knowing full well that MAGA loyalists are never going to read the actual guide, wants to do away with all of that.

Commentator Rick Pidcock, writing for Baptist News, summarized Hegseth’s myopia even more bluntly:

Apparently, Hegseth doesn’t think soldiers need to be aware of and able to evaluate their surroundings. He also doesn’t seem to think soldiers need to be healed. Because healing and awareness equate to secular humanism in his mind.

Pidcock also pointed out that there are 1,500 active-duty chaplains in the Army, another 1,500 National Guard and reserve chaplains, over 800 chaplains in the Navy and Marine Corps, over 500 in the Air Force, and approximately 600 in the Air Force Reserves and Air National Guard.

What does Hegseth think these thousands of military chaplains are doing, then?

As usual, he seems to think they’re all “woke.”

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What Hegseth seems to ignore is that the U.S. military already has a robust chaplaincy program that serves the needs of service members of all faiths or no faith. Evangelical groups such as the Southern Baptist Convention, are significantly represented in that corps.

Hegseth acknowledges that 82% of the military are religious, and then falsely claims that they’re being alienated because of some non-existent push towards “Secular Humanism” that simply isn’t there. (Meanwhile, he wants to fully ignore the 18% of soldiers who are non-religious.)

Hegseth said he’s going to “streamline” the list of military religious affiliation codes. But how would that help chaplains “minister better to the flock”? If anything, having less specific information to work with would make their jobs harder. Republicans want to eliminate an expansion of religious codes that took over a decade to approve for the simple reason that they can’t handle complexity of thought.

It’s just stupidity for the sake of it.

Hegseth doesn’t understand the military and he refuses to listen to the people who have spent their lives in it, so his only solution is to destroy what others have carefully built. Instead of deferring to military leaders, Hegseth is imposing his idiotic will because he always assumes he knows best. It’s the kind of unearned arrogance that defines the modern Republican Party.

In response to Hegseth’s rant, the American Humanist Association and The Humanist Society (which endorses Humanist chaplains) issued a joint statement condemning his short-sighted diatribe:

Hegseth’s broadside against the Army Spiritual Fitness Guide—including putting scare quotes around “faith” traditions he doesn’t recognize or value—is an attack against any member of the military who doesn’t practice his form of conservative Christianity.

Hegseth tries to hide this by attacking “secular humanism.” But the irony is that, despite the fact that certified humanist chaplains serve Americans every day in hospitals, prisons, and college campuses across the country, they are not allowed to serve in the military.

Every single member of our military, regardless of their religious beliefs—Christian, Jewish, Muslim, Buddhist, humanist, or anything else—deserves access to a chaplain who will support their well-being.

But it’s clear Hegseth doesn’t understand what this means—because his directive stands in direct contradiction to the Standards of Practice for Professional Chaplains agreed to by all credentialing bodies for chaplains. Those standards include a recognition that chaplaincy does involve emotional care—and emphasizes providing care for diverse beliefs, not mocking them.

Those standards are agreed to and followed by all practicing chaplains—Christians, Jews, Muslims, and yes—even secular humanists. And the Army Spiritual Fitness Guide, based on those standards, had been endorsed by leaders in the Army Chaplain Corps who are practicing Christians.

The truth is that Hegseth doesn’t care about strengthening the practice of chaplaincy or the spiritual well-being of the military. He wants to do what he’s always done: treat his position as a pulpit and push his deeply conservative Christian Nationalist beliefs onto the troops.

All of this is happening the same week Hegseth hosted a Pentagon “Christmas worship service” that featured evangelist and hate-preacher Franklin Graham saying that “God also hates” and that his God is a “God of war.”

Nothing Hegseth wants to do here will make the military better. It will just make it worse for the people he doesn’t think should be in there in the first place because they’re not sufficiently Christian warriors. He’s throwing a temper tantrum because the alternative is taking accountability for his horrific and cruel decisions.

Nothing he’s whining about was breaking the military, weakening readiness, or silencing faith. The Chaplain Corps was functioning as it was always designed to in a pluralistic force: providing care across belief systems, respecting people’s consciences, and acknowledging that meaning and resilience and moral grounding may not have to come from a single theological source. (Even if, as I mentioned, the military wrongly treats religion in general as a positive thing.)

Those slow, deliberate steps in the direction of inclusivity didn’t erase religion; it simply stopped privileging one kind of religion at the expense of everyone else. Hegseth’s intervention won’t solve any real problems because no such problems existed.

All he’s doing is tearing down years careful, evidence-based adaptation in favor of some sort of ideological purity test. By framing emotional intelligence, adaptability, and ethical reflection as “Secular Humanism,” Hegseth is showing us how weak he is. Nothing in the Spiritual Fitness Guide prevented chaplains from preaching, praying, or ministering as they saw fit. If anything, the guidebook just acknowledged the reality that many service members these days don’t fit a traditional mold, and effective leadership requires meeting people where they are, not where Republicans like Hegseth wish they were in their fantasies.

Eliminating nuance doesn’t strengthen morale or readiness. Simplifying belief codes, discarding functional guidance, and redefining chaplains as enforcers of an imaginary culture war only makes the military’s work harder.

This whole charade isn’t about chaplains or faith or even the well-being of troops. It’s about power and projection from a desperate man who’s accomplished nothing of value. Hegseth wants to undermine the very institution he currently leads by replacing professional judgment with his own grievances. That is going to erode trust.

Why would anyone want to join a military that doesn’t give a shit about who they are? Hegseth wants people to enlist so they can join his religious crusade. That’s not why people sign up and it violates the very nature of the military. It makes us weaker as a nation. But Hegseth and his Republican allies don’t care as long as they get to cosplay as tough warriors.

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