Lawmakers criticized the firing of Maj. Gen. William Greene Jr., a retired colonel who oversees the chaplain’s operations, saying the chaplain’s operations could not continue for long without his chief.
Hegseth fires army chaplain, raising concerns
In the past few weeks, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has fired several senior military officials, including the Army’s chief chaplain.
- In early April, Mr. Hegseth fired Army chaplain Maj. Gen. William Green Jr. and two other senior military officials.
- “It’s extremely strange to remove the head pastor,” an expert told USA TODAY. Lawmakers and Greene’s faction are demanding more transparency from the Pentagon about why she was fired.
- A retired military chaplain said the chief chaplain plays an important role in ensuring the religious support of service members. Not having someone in that position will leave a “huge” gap, he said.
Pentagon Secretary Pete Hegseth supports religion and its role in the military.
He trashed the Army’s Spiritual Fitness Guide in December, lamenting its lack of clear references to God in favor of a broader spirituality. He held a Christian prayer service at the Pentagon with controversial pastors and framed elements of the Iran war in Biblical terms.
He announced in March that the Pentagon would reduce the number of official religious codes used to connect service members with needed faith resources, and that military chaplains would no longer display rank insignia but would still retain them.
The turmoil continued into April.
On the same day, Hegseth asked Army Chief of Staff Gen. Randy George to resign and immediately retire, and two other senior officials were replaced, including Army Chaplain Chief Maj. Gen. William Green Jr.
One expert called the firing of the Army’s top chaplain “very strange,” and a former senior chaplain said Greene’s firing would leave a “giant hole” in the Army.
Ronit Stahl, a professor at the University of California, Berkeley, and author of “Calling Faith: How Military Chaplains Shaped Modern American Religion and Nation,” said where there has been a gap between chaplaincy chiefs in the past, it was usually the result of pre-planned retirements.
This position has a four-year term, often spanning presidential administrations. Greene started in December 2023 during the administration of former President Joe Biden.
The Military Religious Freedom Foundation has received “dozens” of complaints from service members “outraged” by Greene’s firing, said the group’s founder and president, retired Air Force officer Mikey Weinstein.
The Pentagon referred USA TODAY to the Army, which said the chaplain’s ministry continues.
“Religious support operations continue under the leadership of the Deputy Chief Chaplain,” Army spokeswoman Heather Hagan said. Colonel Rich West, an ordained Anglican priest, currently holds the position.
Head of pastorate won’t leave ‘huge’ gap, says retired pastor
The ultimate goal of the pastorate is to “ensure religious freedom and the pastoral care of those who are willing to give their lives” for the nation, said the Rev. Jonathan Shaw, director of church relations for the Lutheran Church of Missouri. Reverend Jonathan Shaw retired as a colonel in 2020 after nearly 40 years of military service. Chaplain Shaw was an Army chaplain and, at the time of his retirement, served as the Director of Operations for the Army Chaplain Corps.
He told USA TODAY that faith is a vital part of life for many military personnel, and chaplains must contend with the tension that comes with the job. There are opportunities and challenges to accommodate diverse religious traditions, he said, but there are also tensions in their positions as religious and moral figures, public servants and faith leaders.
“Your job is to be willing to help people who have to take their lives,” Shaw said.
The lack of a head pastor to guide that work leaves a “huge” gap, he said. For now, people in the chaplaincy can continue to work in much the same way as before, but Mr Shaw said he has a “very dynamic profession” and “can’t work very long”.
Given the changes Hegseth has made to the pastorate in recent months, there is no doubt that Hegseth’s tenure has become even more active.
In announcing that chaplains will no longer display rank insignia in March, Hegseth said they “seem to be the highest in rank by divine calling,” adding that the Pentagon was “not yet complete” in taking steps to “restore the esteemed status of chaplains.” Shaw said he appreciates Hegseth’s efforts to prioritize the religious responsibilities of chaplains.
But Mr. Weinstein is among those who have denounced what they perceive to be a creeping influence of Christian nationalism on the military under Mr. Hegseth’s leadership.
He previously told USA TODAY that his organization had received 200 complaints from military personnel related to religious freedom as of early March amid the Iran war, “by far.” These included allegations that the commander told non-commissioned officers during a briefing that President Donald Trump was “anointed by Jesus to cause Armageddon and send a signal to Iran to commemorate his return to Earth.”
According to scholar Paul D. Miller, Christian nationalism refers to “the belief that the American nation is defined by Christianity and that the government should take active steps to preserve it.” Andrew Whitehead, a sociology professor at Indiana University Indianapolis, previously told USA TODAY that many Christian nationalists believe in eliminating the line between church and state.
Shaw acknowledged some people’s concerns about Christian nationalism in the military, but said he believed it could be a more helpful framework for people of faith to embrace patriotism and national service while centering their religious identity.
“We want Christians, Buddhists, Jews, Hindus, Sikhs, etc., but we want them if they respect and love this country and want to serve in the military,” Shaw said.
Groups express concern over Greene’s ouster
Lawmakers and leaders of Greene’s religious sect were among those who questioned his firing and the lack of information provided by the Pentagon on the issue.
Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-Connecticut) condemned Greene’s firing in a statement on April 7, saying she had performed her duties “with honor and honor.”
DeLauro said this was a particularly striking gap in the context of the ongoing war in Iran and Trump’s April 7 assertion that “the entire civilization will perish tonight,” a comment that was also criticized by his base.
“At a time when we are in the midst of our greatest moral crisis, President Trump and Secretary Hegseth are attempting to silence the voices of our conscience,” she said. “This should surprise all Americans.”
Sen. Chris Coons (D-Delaware) similarly praised Greene’s work and accused the Trump administration of “bobbing out executives for seemingly no good reason.”
U.S. Rep. Don Bacon (R-Neb.), a former Air Force brigadier general, also said that while Mr. Hegseth has the authority to fire military leaders, it is “not morally right or wise.”
Mr. Green became an Army chaplain in 1994 after receiving recognition from the National Baptist Convention USA, Inc., the nation’s oldest and largest black Baptist denomination. Stahl said the denomination emphasizes the dignity and liberation of African Americans.
The church’s president, the Rev. Boise Kimber, said Green’s firing “raises serious and troubling issues that require transparency and accountability.”
“His decades of faithful service, moral leadership, and historic representation within the Army Chaplain Corps should not be overshadowed by acts that give the appearance of bigotry, ideological targeting, or radical political interference,” Kimber said in an April 8 statement. “Our nation must be careful not to let partisan policies undermine a system built on merit, sacrifice, and service.”
Weinstein also noted that less than a month after Hegseth became defense secretary in early 2025, he fired three Judge Advocates General, often referred to as JAGs.
“The message is very clear: You toe the line,” Weinstein said.
Green declined to comment to USA TODAY.
Breanna Frank is USA TODAY’s First Amendment reporter. please contact her bjfrank@usatoday.com.
USA TODAY’s coverage of First Amendment issues is funded by the Freedom Forum in collaboration with our journalism funding partners. Funders do not provide editorial input.
