Overview
- The 15-minute service in the Pentagon auditorium was carried on the department’s internal TV network, with DoD photos verifying Wilson’s presence.
- Pentagon press officials defended the invitation, saying Secretary Pete Hegseth was glad to welcome the pastor and noting the event was voluntary.
- A congressional candidate and advocacy groups urged investigations, arguing the use of Pentagon venues and communications breaches church–state separation.
- Wilson, a self-described Christian nationalist who has backed repealing women’s suffrage and criminalizing homosexuality, preached as part of a worship series Hegseth began last summer.
- Hegseth, who is affiliated with Wilson’s church network, highlighted the prayer meetings and attacked the “Godless left” in a keynote to Christian broadcasters following the service.