US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth creates Pentagon Office of Religious Affairs

In the United States, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has created an Office of Religious Affairs at the Pentagon, drawing criticism from religious freedom advocates who say it violates the separation of church and state. The office will give military chaplains a direct line to Hegseth and oversee spiritual fitness programs. Critics fear it will promote Christian nationalism and marginalize other faiths. The move follows complaints from chaplains about ideological alignment with Hegseth's Christianity and comes amid broader changes to the military's chaplaincy, including narrowed faith codes and reduced chaplain ranks.