A new office for religious affairs has been established at the Pentagon

The U.S. Department of Defense has announced the creation of a special office for religious affairs, which will report directly to the department’s head. The goal of the new unit will be to provide service members with high-quality spiritual support and to represent the interests of military chaplains at the highest levels of Pentagon leadership.

U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegset, , who presented the initiative on September 30, 2026, during an address to the troops, emphasized the importance of the spiritual dimension of military service. According to the secretary, the department will work to strengthen morale, including through initiatives aimed at suicide prevention and support for service members’ families. At the same time, it has been officially stated that the department does not plan to impose religious beliefs or discriminate against members of various faiths or non-believers.

The initiative has sparked a mixed reaction among the public. In particular, the organization “Americans for Separation of Church and State” has voiced criticism, expressing concern that the creation of this office could lead to an excessive strengthening of Christianity’s influence in military policy. It is worth noting that the Pentagon had previously carried out a reorganization in the religious sphere, reducing the list of recognized faiths from more than 200 to 31, which provides context for the current changes.

Recall that U.S. President Donald Trump, during his speech at the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly , harshly criticized the UN Human Rights Council, accusing the body of deliberately remaining silent about the persecution of Christians. The American leader emphasized that international human rights institutions prefer to ignore actual crimes against believers, focusing instead on the political agenda.