Washington DC - Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth was slammed by high-ranking former and current military officials for exerting a "hyper-Christian tone" that undermines religious freedom.

Days after Hegseth gave an overtly religious speech, a number of Pentagon staffers, current officers, and former military officials have voiced concern.

Hegseth had prayed that US troops inflict violence on their enemies "in the mighty and powerful name of Jesus Christ," and had, in a separate announcement, said that military chaplains would begin wearing religious insignia on their uniforms.

"The American military has had a remarkable ride of equanimity and fairness and justice and all manner of good adjectives with regard to religion," retired Army Col. Larry Wilkerson told the Washington Post. "It's done this in a way that's really remarkable – until now."

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Wilkerson said that Hegseth's actions "are totally violative of everything that transpired before it. This has come on us in a very quick fashion."

Retired Army Maj. Gen. Randy Manner said that he has spoken to dozens of active-duty chaplains who say that service members who don't identify with Hegseth "are being marginalized" and feel that they can't voice concerns.

One active service member told the Post that the situation is "terrifying" and claimed that troops are being told that "God is on our side."

"I don't approve of cramming your religious faith down people's throats," said another anonymous service member. "When the top of the chain couches these operations in this hyper-Christian tone, it flies in the face of freedom of religion."

Pentagon Press Secretary Kingsley Wilson sought to justify the overtly religious nature of Hegseth's comments in a statement and said that his messages "undoubtedly improve morale."