When the secretary of defense plays preacher

His remarks could hurt recruitment, retention, and national security.

By Eugene R. Fidell, Margaret M. Donovan, and Priya Rashid

Originally Posted on Boston Globe and can be found here

Updated March 24, 2026, 2:02 p.m.

Eugene R. Fidell, Margaret M. Donovan, and Priya Rashid served as judge advocates in the US Coast Guard, US Army, and US Army, respectively.

Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth has a problem with the law: He doesn’t believe he has a duty to follow it, notwithstanding the hand-on-the-crusader-Bible oath he took upon taking office.

Hegseth’s trampling of the First Amendment has been egregious. And while his disregard for the freedom of speech and freedom of the press has attracted significant attention, he has shown equal contempt for the prohibition on establishment of religion.

Hegseth struck a constitutional land mine when he delivered what can only be viewed as sectarian remarks at a Pentagon meeting. He urged Americans “to pray for victory in battle and the safety of their troops.” But then, not content to strike an ecumenical tone, he advised Americans to pray “every day on bended knee, with your family, in your schools, in your churches,” and to do so “in the name of Jesus Christ.”

Hegseth is entitled to his personal religious views, but comments like these are far outside his proper role. They also pose a threat to national defense.

What Americans do at home, in school, and in houses of worship is simply none of Hegseth’s business, especially when he speaks from behind a Department of Defense lectern.

His remarks are not only a First Amendment violation but also a threat to national defense, as they impact serving and potential future members of the armed forces. The harm is threefold.

First, roughly 70 percent of military personnel identify as Christian. Some are engaged with their faith, while others are not. Some Christian GIs may applaud Hegseth’s

invocation of Jesus, but others will not. The roughly 30 percent of US military personnel who are not Christian may find it a serious turn-off.

Members of non-Christian faith groups will be justified in seeing the comments as evidence of a hostile work environment. Nonbelievers and non-Christian personnel probably won’t miss the message that they are second-class soldiers — tolerated rather than the genuine article that Hegseth wants. It is hard to imagine a better way to destroy the unit cohesion on which American military effectiveness has long relied. What effect will his sectarianism have on the retention of non-Christian personnel or Christian personnel who want no part of his military?

Second, his comments may make recruiting more of a challenge. Some will probably choose not to serve because they find Hegseth’s sectarian vision unattractive. In an all- volunteer environment where many potential recruits lack the requisite physical fitness and other qualifications, anything that discourages enlistment is anathema. The message many potential recruits are likely to hear is that non-Christians need not apply. In Hegseth’s military, they belong in the ranks of the unwanted, which include transgender people and, increasingly obviously, women.

According to retired Major General Steven J. Lepper, former deputy judge advocate general of the Air Force, “In my view, based on 35 years of active military service, these assaults on the First Amendment — assaults on fundamental rights I and my fellow service members swore oaths to protect — will not only push many currently serving members out, it will deter Americans from wanting to join. The impact on retention and recruiting is likely to be astounding and crippling.”

Third, it is imperative to focus on the effect of Hegseth’s Christian sectarianism on people and countries around the world who do not share his faith — including many who will find it profoundly offensive. Looked at through that lens, the Iran conflict looks a lot like a “holy war,” and through that same lens, one of President Trump’s many rationales for the war — opposition to the clerics’ regime in Iran — can easily be read as a US war on

Islam. If the entire Islamic world — about a quarter of the world’s population — believes the United States views it with hostility, it could pose serious risks to this country.

In 2001, President George W. Bush famously referred to the so-called global war on terror as a “crusade.” That was a mistake that Hegseth is doing his level best to outdo. It’s not surprising, given Hegseth’s history of defending the Crusades, in which medieval Christians fought Muslims.

No good can come of linking Christianity and American military operations. It can only harm our national security.