US military takes pride in religious diversity. Would things change if Pete Hegseth takes charge?
The U.S. military has strived over recent decades to present itself as religiously diverse, welcoming personnel of all faiths – or no faith – as it seeks cohesion and mutual respect in the ranks
It was a history-making event: In a chapel at Fort Liberty, North Carolina, 2nd Lt. Khady Ndiaye stood proudly -- wearing a hijab – as she became the first Muslim woman commissioned by the U.S. Army as a chaplain candidate.
Presiding over the ceremony in June was Maj. Gen. Bill Green, the Army’s chief of chaplains. He said the chaplains serve more than 200 faith groups, “while caring for the entire Army family ... regardless of their personal beliefs."
That ethos – a commitment to religious diversity throughout a U.S. military with 1.3 million active-duty troops -- could be strained if Pete Hegseth, President-elect Donald Trump’s nominee for defense secretary, is confirmed as the next Pentagon leader.
Hegseth sometimes conveys his conservative Christian outlook in militaristic terms, has justified the medieval Crusades that pitted Christians against Muslims, and evokes the specter of Islamists seeking to impose their faith on non-Muslims. He has denounced the military’s initiatives to foster diversity, equity and inclusion, which include religion among other categories.
