Defense Secretary Hegseth Prays for 'Overwhelming Violence' at Pentagon Religious Service
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth delivered a prayer during a Christian worship service at the Pentagon calling for "overwhelming violence of action against those who deserve no mercy." The service, held on Wednesday before military and civilian Pentagon workers, marked Hegseth's first such appearance since the Iran war began, according to Associated Press reports.
Controversial Prayer and Chaplain Corps Overhaul
During the prayer service, Hegseth invoked words he attributed to a military chaplain, stating: "Let every round find its mark against the enemies of righteousness and our great nation. Give them wisdom in every decision, endurance for the trial ahead, unbreakable unity, and overwhelming violence of action against those who deserve no mercy." He indicated the prayer originated from chaplains after Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro was captured by U.S. forces.
The remarks came just one day after Hegseth announced significant changes to the military's chaplain corps. In a video message, he criticized the corps as having been "infected by political correctness and secular humanism," claiming chaplains had become "watered down" to function as "nothing more than therapists" focused on "self-help and self-care" rather than faith and virtue.
Structural Changes to Military Chaplaincy
Hegseth outlined specific modifications to the chaplain corps structure:
- Religious affiliation codes will be reduced from approximately 200 different faith designations down to just 31 codes
- Chaplains will no longer wear officer rank insignia on uniforms, instead displaying religious insignia
- The changes aim toward "making the chaplain corps great again" according to Hegseth
The defense secretary has instituted monthly prayer sessions at the Pentagon during his tenure, though all reported prayer meetings have been presided over by evangelical Christian leaders.
Background and Criticism
Hegseth belongs to a church affiliated with the Congregation of Reformed Evangelical Churches, founded by Doug Wilson, who identifies as a Christian nationalist and has previously led Pentagon prayer services. The defense secretary's integration of Christian faith into his official role has drawn substantial criticism and legal challenges.
Regarding the Iran conflict, Hegseth has incorporated religious context, stating in a television interview that the United States is "fighting religious fanatics who seek a nuclear capability in order for some religious Armageddon."
Military veterans have expressed concerns to media outlets about Hegseth's religious emphasis within the defense department. Kristofer Goldsmith, an Iraq war veteran and CEO of watchdog organization Task Force Butler, warned: "We're gonna see a lot of Christian nationalists join the military. They're not gonna perform very well, and our national security will suffer for a generation for it, because those that don't wash out will be toxic leaders."
Legal Challenges and Separation Concerns
Americans United for Separation of Church and State recently filed lawsuits against both the defense and labor departments seeking public records about prayer services. The organization aims to access information regarding invited speakers, prayer recordings, and employee complaints about the services.
Rachel Laser, President and CEO of Americans United, stated: "The federal government's role is to serve the public, not to proselytize. Even if these prayer services are presented as voluntary, there is pressure on federal employees to attend in order to appease their bosses – especially since these services occur amidst the Trump administration's campaign to punish anyone who doesn't comply with its Christian Nationalist agenda."
The records request seeks to determine whether government departments maintain religious neutrality and respect workers' religious freedom protections.
