Iran war, Hegseth agenda test religious freedom in ranks

• Experts and former military chaplains said there have long been religious freedom debates in the military but that tensions over such issues have risen amid Hegseth's efforts to promote Christianity.
• The Military Religious Freedom Foundation said it received more than 200 complaints from service members amid the Iran war that raised concerns about superiors' Christian nationalist sentiments.
• Hegseth's more narrow vision for religion in the military echoes the Trump administration's widespread efforts to boost religion's presence in the public square.

The United States' war in Iran has heightened existing concerns among some service members about the influence of Christian nationalism on the military under Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth's leadership.

The country began carrying out joint strikes with Israel on Feb. 28 that killed Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. At least 1,230 people had been killed in Iran as of March 5, along with scores of other deaths around the Middle East.  

Mikey Weinstein, founder and president of the Military Religious Freedom Foundation, told USA TODAY on March 4 the organization had received "far greater than” 200 complaints related to religious freedom from service members across more than 50 military installations since the war broke out. 

One such complaint alleged that a commander told non-commissioned officers in a March 2 briefing that President Donald Trump was “anointed by Jesus to light the signal fire in Iran to cause Armageddon and mark his return to Earth.”

The Pentagon did not respond to USA TODAY’s inquiries as to whether it investigated or verified the complaint, nor whether commanders are permitted to make such comments to subordinates under Hegseth’s leadership.  

Hegseth has touted an explicitly religious vision for the military, demonstrated through efforts such as monthly Christian worship services at the Pentagon and speeches like one at the National Religious Broadcasters convention in Nashville, in which he said, "The virtues (Christianity) extols are not just for the sanctuary but for the public square."

In interviews with USA TODAY, retired military chaplains and a leading expert on faith in the armed forces said such efforts mark a shift from how the Pentagon has approached religion in the past. More overtly Christian messaging could diminish cohesion by alienating those without such beliefs, they said.

Hegseth echoes Trump administration's focus on religion

The Pentagon referred USA TODAY to a video Hegseth posted to X in December, in which he described a perceived “weakening of our Chaplain Corps” as “a real problem facing our nation’s military.”  USA TODAY had requested an interview about the chaplaincy program and provided a list of questions about religion and the military.

In the video, Hegseth lamented what he said was the military’s misguided shift away from explicit references to God in favor of broader spirituality over the years. There was only one reference to God in the Army’s spiritual fitness guide, Hegseth said, adding that the document would be disregarded moving forward.  

Hegseth cited the words of President George Washington, who established the Chaplain Corps in 1775: “The blessing and protection of Heaven are at all times necessary, but especially so in times of public distress and danger.” 

Hegseth’s comments reflect the Trump administration’s broader tone and efforts to boost religion’s presence in the public square.  

Trump touted what he described as a “tremendous renewal in religion, faith, Christianity and belief in God” in the country in his 2026 State of the Union address.  

Members of Trump’s Religious Liberty Commission have also expressed a belief that the establishment clause of the First Amendment doesn’t prevent the government from promoting religion and that it can and should do so.  

A group of organizations sued the commission in February, alleging that it has an illegal lack of religious and ideological diversity. The commission is composed of “almost exclusively Christians with one Orthodox Jewish Rabbi,” according to the federal complaint.  

Trump also vowed to protect prayer in public schools at a Religious Liberty Commission hearing in September, saying at one point in his speech that, "To have a great nation, you have to have religion." 

A 'wrecking ball' to chaplaincy's purpose

The U.S. military has historically moved toward a more pluralistic treatment of religion over time, though there have long been debates and controversies over issues of religious freedom, according to Ronit Stahl, a University of California Berkeley professor and author of the book, “Enlisting Faith: How the Military Chaplaincy Shaped Religion and State in Modern America.”  

The chaplaincy was exclusively Protestant at its founding but introduced Catholic chaplains and a rabbi in the 19^th century. The first Muslim chaplain came in 1994, and the first Buddhist chaplain followed in 2008. 

The U.S. Supreme Court in 1986 ruled that the Air Force could prohibit an Orthodox Jewish service member from wearing a yarmulke while in uniform. Though it restrained his religious expression, the court said the ban “reasonably and evenhandedly” supported the military’s “perceived need for uniformity.”  

Stahl also pointed to controversy in the early 2000s over allegations that Air Force Academy officers and cadets were proselytizing in support of evangelical Christian beliefs, fostering a less welcoming environment for service members of other faith traditions.  

It was around that time that Weinstein founded the Military Religious Freedom Foundation. The organization has represented more than 100,000 military members in various religious freedom matters in the years since then, Weinstein said, adding that around 95% of the organization’s clients are Christian. 

Army Chaplain Corps guidelines published during former President Joe Biden’s administration in February 2024, which remained on the Army’s website as of early March, said the Chaplain Corps at that point represented more than 100 religious groups.  

The Chaplain Corps “cares for all Soldiers and their Families, regardless of their religious preferences, and even when they have no religious preference at all,” it said. It added that recruiters were “actively working to increase the Corps’ diversity” at that point, particularly as it related to more women serving as chaplains and more representation of minority faiths in the chaplaincy.  

Rabbi Joel Schwartzman, a client of the Military Religious Freedom Foundation who served for more than 20 years as an Air Force chaplain and retired as a full colonel, said Hegseth’s efforts “fly in the face of the whole purpose of the chaplaincy.” 

The Air Force’s recruiting website says a “diverse chaplain corps is crucial” to meet service members’ spiritual needs in a "culturally, racially and religiously diverse environment." 

“He’s bringing a wrecking ball to that purpose,” Schwartzman said. 

Concerns over unit cohesion, morale

Schwartzman and other retired military chaplains told USA TODAY they worried about the impact of Hegseth’s more narrow religious vision on unit morale and cohesion, saying his efforts stand in stark contrast to how they approached their service.  

Steve Dundas, a retired Navy commander with nearly 40 years of military service and around 30 years as a military chaplain, described sending emails with “inspirational” messages to service members. They centered on faith broadly as opposed to making specific references to God, he said. 

“They were so ecumenical, almost anybody could find something that they like,” he said. 

He also worked to provide specific resources spanning an array of religious traditions, which he said included Islam, Judaism and Wicca.  

Dundas, who is also a client of the Military Religious Freedom Foundation, doesn’t see the same priorities under Hegseth's leadership. He specifically referenced a worship service led by Pastor Doug Wilson, who promotes Christian nationalism, the belief that America is or should be a Christian nation, and has argued against women’s right to vote, at the Pentagon in February. 

Wilson leads the Communion of Reformed Evangelical Churches, the denomination that includes the Tennessee church Hegseth has attended.

“Unless you’re somebody that’s of that group, you’re going to be very, very uncomfortable, and traditionally, that’s not the way chaplains have served,” Dundas said.

Military hierarchy makes it harder to speak out

Though the Pentagon has said service members’ attendance at such events is purely voluntary and not tracked, retired personnel said the military’s hierarchical structure creates pressure to attend events promoted by superiors even if they are characterized as optional.  

Weinstein described it as being “voluntold.” 

“Your military superior is not your manager at Starbucks or Taco Bell,” he said. “They have complete and total control over your life.”  

He referenced the Uniform Code of Military Justice, the military’s criminal code, which places more restrictions and harsher punishments on service members than they would face as civilians.  

A culture of deference to authority and harsh punishments for stepping out of line make it risky for current service members to express concerns, Weinstein said. That’s where he sees his organization making a difference by publicly raising such issues while shielding service members from potential retribution.  

Suing the Trump administration over such matters would require a willing plaintiff, and he said those directly impacted by Hegseth’s actions are unlikely to pursue that option. Stahl agreed, saying that service members doing so would be “pretty extraordinary given the potential repercussions.”  

A group of military parents did sue the Pentagon in 2025 over removing certain materials from schools operated by the Department of Defense because of perceived “wokeness.” In October, a district judge ordered the administration to reinstate the materials while litigation over the matter continues.  

BrieAnna Frank is a First Amendment reporter at USA TODAY. Reach her at [email protected]. 

USA TODAY's coverage of First Amendment issues is funded through a collaboration between the Freedom Forum and Journalism Funding Partners. Funders do not provide editorial input.