Pete Hegseth announces Office of Religious Affairs

Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth announced the creation of an Office of Religious Affairs during a Sept. 30 speech at U.S. Marine Corps Base Quantico in Virginia. The Department of Defense stated the new office will report directly to the secretary and aims to elevate spiritual readiness as a core element of combat effectiveness. Hegseth said the office will provide chaplains with an advocate at high levels of leadership to ensure policy and resources support the military mission.

During the same speech, Hegseth announced the Autonomous Warfare Command to develop autonomous military capabilities. This development follows warnings from Pope Leo XIV against the creation of autonomous weapons. In a backgrounder regarding the papal encyclical Magnifica Humanitas, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops described the rise of such systems as a grave development in military technology.

Hegseth also confirmed plans to reduce the number of positions for admirals and generals by 20%, which doubles a 10% reduction he ordered last year.