WASHINGTON — U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, who has referred to the Pentagon as the “War Department” in public statements, has ordered a sweeping overhaul of the military chaplain corps, directing the immediate elimination of the Army’s recently released Spiritual Fitness Guide and signaling broader changes that could reshape how religion and belief systems are recognized across the armed forces.
In a series of public statements this week, Hegseth framed the move as a rejection of what he described as “new age” and secular approaches to spirituality within the military. Posting on X and speaking directly to service members in a recorded video message, Hegseth argued that chaplains have been sidelined by programs emphasizing emotional wellness over religious ministry.
We are going to make the Chaplain Corps great again. pic.twitter.com/xbKZBdbiSR
— Secretary of War Pete Hegseth (@SecWar) December 17, 2025
“In an atmosphere of political correctness and secular humanism, chaplains have been minimized,” Hegseth said. “They’ve been viewed as therapists instead of ministers. Faith and virtue were traded for self-help and self-care.”
The Defense Secretary singled out the Army’s Spiritual Fitness Guide, a 112-page document released in August 2025, ordering its use to cease “effective immediately.” He argued that the guide mentions God only once, while repeatedly addressing concepts such as feelings, playfulness, and emotional awareness. “There’s zero mention of virtue. The guide relies on New Age notions.”
“It’s unacceptable and unserious,” Hegseth said. “These types of training materials have no place in the War Department. Our chaplains are chaplains, not emotional support officers, and we’re going to treat them as such,” using the Trump administration’s preferred terminology for the Department of Defense.
The Spiritual Fitness Guide was developed by the Army Chaplain Corps, which has provided religious support to service members for more than 250 years. According to Army documentation, the guide was created through a “comprehensive and rigorous evidence-based approach” and aligns with the Army’s broader Holistic Health and Fitness (H2F) framework. That program treats spiritual readiness as one of the five pillars of overall soldier preparedness, alongside physical fitness, mental health, nutrition, and sleep.
Seal of the United States Army Chaplain Corps [public domain
Army leaders have described spiritual fitness as essential to cultivating “the will to fight.” The guide outlines four stages of spiritual development, moving from disconnection and helplessness toward purpose, empowerment, and resilience.
In the guide’s introduction, Maj. Gen. William Green Jr., Chief of Chaplains, encouraged soldiers to “get after the spiritual work beneath the surface of your lives,” describing the guide as a standard for personal growth and unit resilience.
The guide also includes exercises intended to strengthen inner resolve, ethical grounding, and meaning-making, whether or not a soldier identifies with a specific religion.
“This spiritual fitness motto embodies our Army’s commitment to building a strong foundation of spiritually healthy, purpose-driven Soldiers and Families,” wrote Meaghan B. Simmons. U.S. Army Chaplain Corps, Regimental Sergeant Major. “When Soldiers derive purpose from their source of inner strength and collective mission, they become unstoppable in war.”
A companion “battlebook” expands on these ideas with reflective scenarios and practical activities designed to train spiritual resilience in the same way physical readiness is trained.
Hegseth’s decision to eliminate the program has raised concerns among observers about the future scope of religious pluralism in the armed forces. While the Secretary said reforms would not target any single religion, he also indicated that the Pentagon is preparing to revise which faiths and belief systems qualify for official recognition.
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In 2017, the Department of Defense updated its list of recognized religious affiliation codes, expanding it to include 221 denominations and belief systems. The list encompassed a wide range of traditions, including mainstream Christian denominations, minority religions, Wiccan and Pagan paths, and non-theistic belief systems such as atheism.
Hegseth criticized those earlier changes as products of “political correctness” and described them as part of what he called an “ongoing war on warriors.” He announced plans to create a new list of religious affiliation codes, though he did not specify which traditions might be removed or restricted.
“We’re going to streamline it,” Hegseth said, “so that our chaplains can actually use it to minister better to the flock.”
The announcement comes amid broader cultural changes being signaled by the Pentagon under Hegseth’s leadership. In the same remarks addressing chaplain reform, the Defense Secretary also criticized military fitness standards, stating that visible weight issues among troops and senior officers reflect a decline in discipline.
“Frankly, it’s tiring to look out at combat formations and see fat troops,” Hegseth said. “It’s completely unacceptable to see fat generals and admirals in the halls of the Pentagon leading commands around the world.”
Critics argue that linking physical readiness, spiritual conformity, and moral virtue risks narrowing the definition of who belongs in the armed forces, particularly for service members whose spiritual lives do not align with traditional theistic frameworks.
As of publication, the Department of Defense has not released further details on what a replacement spiritual program might look like, nor how changes to religious recognition could affect minority faith service members and chaplain endorsements.
Hegseth said additional reforms will be announced in the coming weeks, promising a “top-down cultural shift” in how the military approaches spiritual well-being. For now, the elimination of the Army’s Spiritual Fitness Guide marks a significant departure from recent efforts to frame spirituality as a broad, inclusive component of soldier readiness.
Hegseth said chaplains are meant to serve as pastors and shepherds of the Army’s spiritual life, adding that “more reforms are coming in the weeks ahead.”
This story is developing and will be updated as more information becomes available.
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