Earlier this week, United States Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth delivered his “State of the Force Address” to military officers and enlisted service members at the Marine Corps Base in Quantico, Virginia. During his address, Hegseth, 46, announced the launch of the Office of Religious Affairs at the Pentagon.“Today, at my direction, I am 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… It will protect budgets, demand infrastructure, and strengthen religious support,” he noted.Pete Hegseth also announced the removal of one-fifth of military generals and admirals via position cuts or firing. In a video now circulating online, he was heard saying:“We are no longer the woke department, or the weak department. Simple translation of that? … No weirdos, no w*mps, no radicals. Just warriors… I want central casting. The ideological clowns are out. The patriotic cowboys are in, with testosterone testing on top. Diversity is not our strength. Unity is our strength.”Hegseth also singled out the individuals who were fat, transgender, or had beards, claiming they would no longer be part of the U.S. military service.SiriusXM host Dean Obeidallah reacted to Hegseth’s announcement and compared him to an “ISIS recruiter.”“Pete Hegseth is no different than an ISIS recruiter who uses religion to radicalize people to commit violence to further his own supremacist agenda,” Obeidallah wrote on Threads.Dean Obeidallah calls out Pete Hegseth. (Image via Threads)He was not the only public figure to react to the Defense Secretary’s new measures. Attorney and author Seth Abramson called Pete Hegseth “conspicuously unwell,” while NCIS actress Lauren Holly called out the decision to terminate 20 percent of military generals and admirals ahead of the midterm elections, asking everyone to “add that to the alarm list.”Exploring what Pete Hegseth said about his latest reformsAfter announcing the Office of Religious Affairs, Pete Hegseth said on Wednesday that it would offer “first-class religious support” to fellow Americans.“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,” he stated.Hegseth previously hosted Christian worship services for Pentagon employees. This week, he said that the Office of Religious Affairs would advocate “at the highest level of the Department.” Meanwhile, a Pentagon representative told The Associated Press:“ORA will not compel religious participation, favor one faith, or diminish the rights of personnel of any faith or lack thereof.”A Pentagon memo also stated:“It will offer faith-based homeschool support for military families… faith-based initiatives supporting Department-wide suicide reduction.”However, Pete Hegseth said during his address that the focus would be on God rather than the therapeutic self-help or self-care routines. Elsewhere, the Defense Secretary mentioned that the military chaplains would no longer need to wear their rank on uniforms but should instead be identified by their religious positions. He even directly addressed the chaplains, saying:“Live your calling. Stand firm. Preach truth. Minister to the flock.”Hegseth also quoted the Bible:“The Lord is on my side; I will not fear. What can man do unto me?”According to AP, the Department of Defense reduced the number of religious affiliations from 200+ to 31, and the list no longer includes Unitarian Universalists, pagans, Wiccans, and atheists.Rachel Laser, the head of Americans United for Separation of Church, told the Associated Press that the Pentagon “owes” it to service members to “defend religious freedom.”“Hegseth’s latest announcement violates that promise by elevating Christianity to an even higher role in shaping U.S. military policy,” she added.Meanwhile, Pete Hegseth claimed that the reforms were part of his effort to “fundamentally” alter the Pentagon’s operations and focus more on “warrior ethos.” He also defended the military layoffs:“The media calls that a purge. I call it accountability, and long overdue. And frankly, the bare minimum.”Hegseth further mentioned that his department’s aim is to become “unrelenting, unapologetic, and uncompromising,” and get rid of those who “clung to the woke” or considered that “civilian control of the military is simply a suggestion.”Democratic Senator Mark Kelly of Arizona condemned Pete Hegseth and told reporters:“Hegseth is in the process of purging the upper echelon of the military of its best leaders. We need strong leaders. These folks have decades of experience, some of the best leadership our military has ever had. He's getting rid of them.”Elsewhere, Pete Hegseth said that the Trump administration was looking to build a “next great” airbase and launched the Autonomous Warfare Command and the “Project Meridian” initiative.