Pete Hegseth creates a Pentagon Office of Religious Affairs reporting directly to him

WASHINGTON (AP) — Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is launching an office of religious affairs, the latest of his faith-related reforms at the Pentagon. It will not “compel religious participation, favor one faith, or diminish the rights of personnel of any faith or lack thereof.”Some criticism of the initiative surfaced quickly.The Pentagon “owes it to the nation’s service members to defend religious freedom,” said Rachel Laser, head of Americans United for Separation of Church, which has sued the Pentagon over its worship services. “Hegseth’s latest announcement violates that promise by elevating Christianity to an even higher role in shaping U.S.

military policy.”Other federal agencies have had religious or faith-based offices, which were established under President George W. Bush and were continued in different forms under the Obama and Biden administrations. President Donald Trump established a White House Faith Office and had a similar effort during his first term.Shaun Casey, a religion scholar, led the State Department’s Office of Religion and Global Affairs during the Obama administration.

The office did not promote religion or spiritual well-being, he said. “It was there to understand what were the political implications of lived religion in the various hot spots around the world.”The leader of the new office has not been named. A Pentagon memo said the religious affairs director will coordinate spiritual resources, including “faith-based homeschool support for military families.” Hegseth has also pushed the military school system to introduce more coursework that draws from conservative and Christian influences.The memo mentions “faith-based initiatives supporting Department-wide suicide reduction.” I…