Overview
- In a social media video, the defense secretary said he will immediately bar use of the Army Spiritual Fitness Guide, and the online version has been taken down.
- He labeled the guide secular and “New Age,” citing word counts for God, “feelings,” and “playfulness,” and signaled additional top-down reforms to follow.
- Hegseth says chaplains have been treated as therapists and pledges to restore a faith-centered role as part of broader 2025 efforts to roll back “woke” policies.
- Retired Gen. Mark Hertling and other commentators argue the guide was a Holistic Health and Fitness tool for soldiers, not chaplain doctrine, and warn the public attack undermines trust.
- Advocacy groups, including the American Humanist Association, criticized the move as exclusionary, while formal policy language and implementation details remain unresolved under regulations defining chaplains’ dual mission.