Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has recently drastically reduced the number of religious affiliations recognized by the US military, and now higher-ups are heavily pressuring service members to choose from the drastically reduced list, or risk having one chosen for them -- leading service members and chaplains to raise the alarm bells about Hegseth's efforts to create a "Christian Army."
Earlier this year, reports confirmed that the Defense Department slashed the military's recognized religious affiliations down to 31, from 211, a staggering reduction of 85%. Only nine of the remaining 31 affiliations are non-Christian religions.
Military service members were given a deadline to choose their official religion, with the Air Force telling active-duty airmen they had until October 16, while a Marine Corps administrative message warned service members that leadership would choose an affiliation for them if they did not choose one.
The Pentagon has attempted to portray this religion culling as a highly necessary administrative update, with Air Force assistant secretary for manpower and reserve affairs, Richard Anderson, claiming that the new, reduced list will give military chaplains the "accurate demographic data they need to provide tailored resources and support to our Service members, while continuing to respect their individual convictions."
But MS NOW has interviewed several current and former US military members, and they're pushing back... Hard.
One former military chaplain who now vets future chaplains for the Pentagon and openly describes himself as a devout Christian said, "The push is for Christian identity. This nation was not founded as a Christian nation."
One Air National Guard member explained that his religion did not make the cut onto the new, reduced list and told MS NOW in no uncertain terms that this move is just one part of the Hegseth Pentagon's efforts to forge a "Christian army, essentially," further noting that the move blatantly violated service members' First Amendment rights.
"I found that very alarming and upsetting because we don’t tend to ask for much as service members," he told the outlet, explaining that he ended up choosing "other religion" on the form, after his own real religion was done away with.
One civilian employee who has worked at the Pentagon for a decade explained that the entire atmosphere has shifted following the change, and not for the better, telling the outlet, "Christian nationalism is in, and everybody else is out, and it is palpable in that building."
Alongside the massive cuts to religious affiliations, Pete's Pentagon has created a new Office of Religious Affairs meant to "elevate spiritual readiness" throughout the US military.
As though that weren't already terrifying enough, Hegseth has also launched a deeply disturbing recruiting campaign dubbed "Send Me," based on an Old Testament Bible verse. As part of that campaign, the Pentagon holds monthly worship services that feature high-profile, evangelical extremist figures, such as Communion of Reformed Evangelical Churches founder and self-described Christian nationalist Doug Wilson.
Military Religious Freedom Foundation founder Mikey Weinstein confirmed that hundreds of US military service members have already filed complaints with his group over Pete Hegseth's increasingly nationalist rhetoric and changes.
"It’s ripping and tearing them apart," he explained. "It destroys good order, morale, discipline, and especially unit cohesion."
The Pentagon has, of course, vehemently defended Hegseth and his Christian nationalist approach to the US military.
Press Secretary Kingsley Wilson said in a statement: "The Department of War protects the constitutional right of every service member and civilian employee to practice their faith without coercion or discrimination. Despite the Left’s efforts to remove our Christian heritage from our great nation, Secretary Hegseth is among those who embrace it."
