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<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\nWASHINGTON \u2014 Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth<\/a> announced the creation of a new \u201cOffice of Religious Affairs\u201d during a speech Sept. 30 on Pentagon policy.<\/p>\n Hegseth \u2014 who uses the moniker \u201csecretary of war\u201d since Trump signed an executive order last year adding the \u201cDepartment of War\u201d as a secondary, ceremonial title for the Department of Defense \u2014 announced the new office during a speech at U.S. Marine Corps Base Quantico in Virginia.<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cThe experts, our chaplains, will finally have an advocate at the highest levels,\u201d Hegseth said. \u201cPolicy and resources will serve the mission, not smother the mission.\u201d<\/p>\n Elsewhere in the speech, Hegseth also announced the \u201cAutonomous Warfare Command,\u201d an effort to develop autonomous capabilities across the military.<\/p>\n Catholic leaders, particularly Pope Leo XIV, have warned against the creation of autonomous weapons. The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, in a backgrounder on Pope Leo\u2019s encyclical \u201cMagnifica Humanitas,\u201d said the rise of these systems marked a \u201cgrave development of military technology.\u201d<\/p>\n Hegseth also confirmed plans to cut the number of spots reserved for admirals and generals by 20%, doubling the 10% reduction he ordered last year.<\/p>\n Hegseth also said he wanted \u201cno fatties, no trannies, no beardos, no weirdos, no wimps, no radicals\u201d in the armed services.<\/p>\n A statement from the Department of Defense, also using the Department of War moniker, said it \u201cis elevating spiritual readiness as a core element of combat effectiveness with the establishment of the Office of Religious Affairs, a direct-report office to the Secretary of War charged with driving Department-wide policy, resource advocacy, and action.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWars are fought by people, and the strength of the force depends not only on weapons, training, and technology, but also on the resilience, conviction, and moral strength of those who serve,\u201d the statement said. It added the new office will \u201censure religious affairs are no longer dispersed across distant bureaucratic layers, giving senior leaders a dedicated capability to protect free exercise, remove policy barriers, identify unmet requirements, and secure the support needed for the Service chaplaincies to succeed.\u201d<\/p>\n The statement added, \u201cThe Service chaplaincies will remain the Department\u2019s primary providers of religious support; ORA will give them a powerful advocate at the highest level of the Department.<\/p>\n \u201cThe office will not compel religious participation, favor one faith, or diminish the rights of personnel of any faith or lack thereof,\u201d it said. \u201cInstead, it will help ensure every member of the Force has voluntary, meaningful access to religious support and community that fosters purpose and resilience needed to endure hardship, deployment, combat, and loss.\u201d<\/p>\n In his speech, Hegseth said, \u201cOur department is, you might say, putting on the full armor of God.\u201d<\/p>\n The phrase appeared to come from Chapter 6 of St. Paul\u2019s Letter to the Ephesians, where the apostle urges the Christian community: \u201cPut on the armor of God so that you may be able to stand firm against the tactics of the devil. For our struggle is not with flesh and blood but with the principalities, with the powers, with the world rulers of this present darkness, with the evil spirits in the heavens.\u201d<\/p>\n A spokesperson for the U.S. Archdiocese for the Military Services did not immediately respond to OSV News\u2019 request for comment.<\/p>\n Kate Scanlon is a national reporter for OSV News covering Washington. Follow her on X @kgscanlon<\/em>.<\/p>\n<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n