Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth defended Wednesday’s Christian prayer service at the Pentagon as a “long-standing tradition” within the United States armed forces. “Appealing to Heaven, to God, is a long-standing tradition in our military,

Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth hosted a Christian prayer service on Wednesday at the Pentagon for employees that included a sermon by his hometown pastor who said President Donald Trump had been “sovereignly appointed.

The defense secretary's personal pastor from a Tennessee church whose leaders have a documented history of advocating for male-led Christian authority over society.