In a move that should gladden the heart of every Bible-believing Christian in America, Secretary of War Pete Hegseth announced on Wednesday, Sept. 30, the creation of a new Office of Religious Affairs within the Department of Defense — declaring that the spiritual health of America’s service members will now stand alongside their physical health.

Speaking during his “State of the Force” address to military personnel at Marine Corps Base Quantico in Virginia, Hegseth outlined several initiatives aimed at reshaping the U.S. military. Chief among them was the establishment of the Office of Religious Affairs, which he said will focus on strengthening religious support and spiritual readiness throughout the armed forces.

“Starting today and for secretaries of war after me, the Office of Religious Affairs will report straight to the top. No staff filters, no bureaucratic dilution, a direct line to the secretary,” Hegseth said. “This is not going to be a paper pushing shop. It’s going to have real teeth. It’ll protect budgets, demand infrastructure, and strengthen religious support.”

Hegseth said military chaplains will play a central role in the new office and will finally have greater representation within Pentagon leadership.

“The experts, our chaplains, will finally have an advocate at the highest levels,” Hegseth said. “Policy and resources will serve the mission, not smother the mission.”

Hegseth then anchored the announcement in the Word of God, citing Psalm 33:12 — “Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord” — and connecting the military’s mission to the New Testament imagery of spiritual warfare found in Ephesians 6.

“250 years ago, we rejected an earthly king an ocean away in appealing instead to a heavenly king above. George Washington made sure that the Continental Army had chaplains back at the beginning back in 1775,” he said. “That force appealed to heaven and we still do today. Our national motto is after all in God we trust. Today we reaffirm that trust.”

“We’re placing spiritual health at the same level as physical health. Our department is, you might say, putting on the full armor of God,” Hegseth continued. “Because while we wage physical war, we all know the real battle is spiritual. God is good. Evil is not. And America’s military must understand the difference.”

Scripture could not be clearer: “For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places” (Ephesians 6:12). A military that trains the body while starving the soul is preparing men for a battle they cannot win. Hegseth’s recognition of this eternal truth is not merely good policy — it is obedience to reality as God ordained it.

As he concluded, Hegseth charged the chaplains with courage: “To our incredible chaplain and religious support teams, live your calling. Stand firm, preach truth, minister to the flock, fear no man. Or as the psalmist put it, ‘The Lord is on my side. I will not fear. What can man do unto me?’ Amen to that.”

In a memorandum released the same day, Hegseth wrote: “Effective immediately, to strengthen the moral, ethical and spiritual readiness of our warfighters, I am establishing the Office of Religious Affairs (ORA) and the position of the Director, ORA. This memorandum also provides guidance on the reporting relationships, authorities, duties, and responsibilities of the Director.”

The new Office of Religious Affairs was one of several initiatives Hegseth announced during his address. He also unveiled plans for a new autonomous warfare command focused on drones and robotics, a project examining the future of warfare, and plans to reduce the number of generals and admirals by 20%.

Let the church take note: when the Secretary of War publicly declares that “the real battle is spiritual” and puts on “the full armor of God” before the nation’s warriors, it is a rebuke to every pulpit in America that has gone silent on sin, judgment, and the lordship of Jesus Christ. Pray for Pete Hegseth and his family. Pray for our chaplains. And pray for our troops — for blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord.

Originally published on Black Christian News.