'Spits in face of Constitution': Pete Hegseth slammed for setting up Office of Religious Affairs at Pentagon

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has launched an Office of Religious Affairs at the Pentagon. The office aims to provide "first-class religious support" and will report directly to Hegseth. According to the Pentagon, it will advocate for military chaplains and religious support without compelling religious participation, favouring one faith, or diminishing the rights of personnel of any faith or lack thereof.

The move has drawn criticism from some who argue it neglects nonreligious military members and violates the Constitution. The Secular Coalition for America and Americans United for Separation of Church and State have expressed concerns, with the latter's head Rachel Laser saying it elevates Christianity to a higher role in shaping US military policy.

Hegseth has been known to infuse his evangelical Christianity into his leadership of the Pentagon, hosting Christian worship services for employees and often speaking of the United States as a Christian nation. According to Gulf News, Hegseth said the department is "putting on the full armour of God, because while we wage physical war, we all know the real battle is spiritual."

Brief written by urgent.news from Hindustan Times - World News, Gulf News, Winnipeg Free Press — 3 reports on this story. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.