Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth slammed critics of a Christian prayer service held Wednesday at the Pentagon in Thursday comments to reporters.
Hegseth defended his decision to lead a 30-minute prayer service at the Pentagon with his home pastor Brooks Potteiger, telling reporters that the events will be a monthly voluntary function at the Department of Defense (DoD). Multiple liberal media outlets lambasted the decision to hold the service, calling into question its legality under the First Amendment’s protections against state-endorsed religion.
“I’ve gotten some criticism for the Christian prayer service at the Pentagon yesterday. We said it very publicly, said it very proudly,” Hegseth told reporters. “Appealing to Heaven, to God, it’s a longstanding tradition in our military. I’m very proud of starting a monthly voluntary service at the Pentagon.”
Helicopters from the parade today dusted the crowd today to end the ceremony with @SecDef in attendance. pic.twitter.com/tCUSiRtDXn
— Wallace H. White (@WallHWhite) May 22, 2025
Scenes from Fort Bragg, honoring the 82nd Airborne with @SecDef Hegseth in attendance. pic.twitter.com/dYkaC8ywgu
— Wallace H. White (@WallHWhite) May 22, 2025
“George Washington is on bended knee with the troops, praying for God’s providence and protection in that moment. Ministers, Christians and people of faith across generations have prayed because the business that we’re in is the business of the 82nd Airborne, and we watch that 9-1-1 button for the country,” Hegseth said. “And we appeal to God. I appeal to Jesus Christ for that protection, to speak that word and be open and willing to talk about that at the Pentagon. If they want to criticize that, they’re on the wrong side of a very important issue.”
Ret. Air Force Lt. Col. Rachel VanLandingham told CNN that Hegseth’s endorsement of the event as official constitutes a violation of the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment, while a former Pentagon lawyer described the event as “incredibly problematic.”
The military regularly offers prayer services for its soldiers, enlisting chaplains to tend to the spiritual and mental needs of servicemembers. Moreover, the U.S. military has a longstanding tradition of incorporating Christianity into its ranks since the Founding.
Potteiger gave a sermon during the standing-room only event on the sovereignty of God among other topics, invoking the book of Matthew 10, according to CNN. Potteiger’s church, part of the Communion of Reformed Evangelical Churches, is theologically conservative in its founding documents.
In a 2019 study, nearly 70% of active-duty servicemembers identified as Christian, according to the Congressional Research Service.
Hegseth made the comments while closing out his Thursday trip to Fort Bragg in Fayetteville, North Carolina, where he attended a ceremony honoring the 82nd Airborne Division of the U.S. Army. During his speech, the defense secretary announced that Army paratroopers would get a substantial bump to their hazard pay for jumping out of planes.
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