…former & current military officers said, the #military has historically adopted an unspoken rule: no #religion & no #politics.
“The point was, it didn’t matter, & it shouldn’t have mattered, who you worship, or whether you worship at all. What mattered was doing the job & being mindful that you represent all Americans, no matter what they believe,” said a person who was in the leadership team of a recent chairman of the #JointChiefs.

#law #Trump #Hegseth #Constitution #FreedomOfReligion

“The American #military has had a remarkable ride of equanimity & fairness & justice & all manner of good adjectives with regard to #religion. It’s done this in a way that’s really remarkable—until now,” said retired #Army Col. Larry Wilkerson, who served as chief of staff to Colin Powell when he was Secy of #State & then was chair of the #JointChiefs. #Hegseth’s actions, Wilkerson said, “are totally violative of everything that transpired before it. This has come on us in a very quick fashion.”

And as chair of the #JointChiefs of Staff in the late 2000s, with #troops in Iraq & Afghanistan, Navy Admiral Mike Mullen kept Mass off his public schedule, aiming to keep the particulars of his Catholic faith private.

But those longtime norms are being upended by the #proselytizing #Christian campaign of #Defense Sec Pete #Hegseth, say multiple former high-ranking #military officials & experts on #religion & #law.

#law #Trump #Constitution #FreedomOfReligion #NewApostolicReformation #NAR #war