Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth ordered an overhaul of the military’s Chaplain Corps in a Tuesday video message, saying he intends to “make the Chaplain Corps great again,” by restoring its focus on religious ministry.
“In an atmosphere of political correctness and secular humanism, chaplains have been minimized, viewed by many as therapists instead of ministers,” he said in the video, since posted on social media.
Hegseth railed against what he described as “new age notions” in the Army Spiritual Fitness Guide, saying, “it mentions God one time — that’s it. It mentions feelings eleven times. It even mentions playfulness — whatever that is — nine times.” In the video, Hegseth gestured air quotes when he spoke the word, “feelings.”
He said the guide “alienates” religious soldiers “by pushing secular humanism.” As a result, Hegseth said the Army will be “tossing it,” and said that he had a directive that would be signed that day to scrap the guide at once.
The Army’s guide was released in August 2025, and frames spiritual fitness as an important part of force readiness. III Corps pioneered a monthslong study to develop the 112-page document, according to previous reporting by Military Times.
“We are aggressively moving forward with Secretary Hegseth’s intent to discontinue the Army Spiritual Fitness Guide,” Army spokesperson Tony McCormick said on Wednesday.
Hegseth said other new changes include “simplifying the faith and belief coding system,” which he said has “ballooned to over two hundred overly complex faith and belief codes.”
More revisions are forthcoming, he emphasized.
“There will be a top-down cultural shift, putting spiritual wellbeing on the same footing as mental and physical health, as a first step toward creating a supportive environment for our warriors and their souls,” he said.
In response to queries about if the filmed statement constituted formal policy and what changes, if any, had been directed regarding the roles and responsibilities of military chaplains, the Pentagon’s press duty officer on Wednesday said the Pentagon had nothing to add outside of the video.
Eve Sampson is a reporter and former Army officer. She has covered conflict across the world, writing for The New York Times, The Washington Post and The Associated Press.
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