Religious References in Secretary of War Pete Hegseth's State of the Force Address

Secretary of War Pete Hegseth speaks to military leaders during the State of the Force Address at Marine Corps Base Quantico, Va., Sept. 30, 2026.

35:10 All precious souls made in the image and likeness of God.

11:59 Jesus said, and you know it, do unto others as you would have done unto yourself. It is the simplest test of truth.

1:09:00 Finally… [all that] are still incomplete without the most essential component of our Republic: faith. Faith in something greater than us.

1:10:08 When you actually look at the numbers, and this will be good for the press, less than 5% of our Force identifies as non-religious. Less than 5%, Meaning 95 % of our Force recognizes an Almighty God. Accordingly, our department, therefore, has a sacred duty. First-class religious support wherever we send our warriors.

1:11:29 Today, at my direction, I'm establishing the Office of Religious Affairs. 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. This is not going to be a paper pushing shop, it's going to have real teeth, they'll protect budgets, demand infrastructure and strengthen religious support. The experts, our chaplains will finally have an advocate at the highest levels. Policy and resources will serve the mission, not smother the mission. As Psalm, 33/32:12 extols us, «blessed is the Nation whose God is the Lord». […]

1:12:40 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. 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. To our incredible chaplains 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 a man can do on to me?» [Psalm, 118:6]. Amen to that.

~ We are (still) making the Chaplain Corps Great Again ~

1:13:54 Each of you swore an oath to the constitution ending with «So help me God». And when I raised my right hand in this job, and made the same solemn pledge, we sealed a shared covenant. […] Each of us committed to the Nation with the sentiment of the 6th chapter of the Book of Isaiah. «Lord, here I am; send me!» [Isaiah, 6:8]. up to and including «send me». Send me to fight the Redcoats, send me to fight the Communists, send me to fight the Islamists, send me…

👉 Βλ. επίσης το δημοσίευμα: «Religious cues in political discourse»