Overview
- Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth signed a directive to end use of the Army’s Spiritual Fitness Guide effective immediately, and the Army says it is moving to implement the order.
- Hegseth said chaplains have been treated as therapists rather than ministers and criticized the guide as overly secular, noting it mentions God once and references feelings and playfulness repeatedly.
- The Pentagon will streamline the Defense Department’s faith-and-belief coding system, which was expanded in 2017 to more than 200 entries, though which codes will remain has not been specified.
- Hegseth said further reforms are coming as part of a top-down cultural shift that elevates spiritual well-being alongside mental and physical health, but the department has not detailed changes to chaplains’ formal duties.
- The announcement drew public support from figures such as Franklin Graham and First Liberty Institute, while critics raised concerns about inclusivity and recognition of nontraditional beliefs.