Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth this week announced sweeping changes to the U.S. military’s chaplain corps, ordering the immediate elimination of the Army’s Spiritual Fitness Guide and signaling a broader shift toward what he described as traditional religious ministry over secular or therapeutic models.
In a video posted to the social media platform Twitter, Hegseth argued that military chaplains have been sidelined in recent years amid what he characterized as an overemphasis on political correctness and secular ideology.
“In an atmosphere of political correctness and secular humanism, chaplains have been minimized, viewed by many as therapists instead of ministers. Faith and virtue were traded for self-help and self-care,” Hegseth said in a post.
We are going to make the Chaplain Corps great again. pic.twitter.com/xbKZBdbiSR
— Secretary of War Pete Hegseth (@SecWar) December 17, 2025
He cited the Army’s Spiritual Fitness Guide as emblematic of that shift, criticizing its lack of religious grounding.
“If you need proof, just look at the current Army Spiritual Fitness Guide. In well over 100 pages, it mentions God one time. That’s it. It mentions ‘feelings’ 11 times. It even mentions ‘playfulness,’ whatever that is, nine times. There’s zero mention of virtue. The guide relies on new age notions,” he added.
Hegseth said the guide would be discontinued immediately, noting that he was prepared to act without delay, according to The HIll.
Hegseth later added that he had “a directive right here that I will sign today to eliminate the use of the Army Spiritual Fitness Guide, effective immediately.”
“These types of training materials have no place in the War Department. Our chaplains are chaplains, not emotional support officers, and we’re going to treat them as such,” he added, using the Trump administration’s preferred name for the Department of Defense.
The move is part of a broader effort by Hegseth to reassert discipline, standards, and what he has described as traditional values across the armed forces. Earlier this year, he delivered blunt remarks to senior military leaders regarding physical readiness and appearance.
“Frankly, it’s tiring to look out at combat formations, or really any formation, and see fat troops,” Hegseth said. “Likewise, it’s completely unacceptable to see fat generals and admirals in the halls of the Pentagon leading commands around the country and the world.”
“It’s a bad look. It is bad, and it’s not who we are,” he continued.
The Army has confirmed it is moving forward with discontinuing the Spiritual Fitness Guide. Additional reforms to the chaplain corps are expected in the coming weeks, including changes to how religious affiliation codes are categorized and used by the Pentagon.
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Good needed overall for troop morale