US military commanders are using extremist Christian rhetoric about the biblical "end times" to justify their involvement in the war on Iran to their troops, according to complaints to the Foundation for Religious Freedom in the Army, The Guardian reports.
A watchdog says it has received over 200 complaints from service members across all branches, including the Marines, Air Force and Space Force.
A complainant, identified as a non-commissioned officer in a unit that could "join at any moment" to operations against Iran, stated that their commander "urged us to tell our troops that "this is all part of God's plan" and pointed to specific quotes from the book of Revelation that refer to Armageddon and the imminent return of Jesus Christ.
"He said that "President Trump was anointed by Jesus to light a signal fire in Iran to cause Armageddon and mark his return to Earth," the noncommissioned officer added.
The noncommissioned officer's complaint was filed on behalf of 15 soldiers, 11 of whom are Christians, one Muslim and one Jewish.
"Any time Israel or the United States is involved in the Middle East, we get this stuff about Christian nationalists who have taken over our government and certainly our American military," said Mikey Weinstein, president of the Army Religious Freedom Foundation, who is an Air Force veteran.
"The service members are not are able to defend themselves because your military commander is not your shift manager at Starbucks," he added.
Weinstein suggested that the reports showed a rise in Christian extremism in the military and noted that the complainants "reported the unbridled euphoria of their commanders," who perceived "biblically sanctioned" war as a clear and undeniable sign of the rapidly approaching "End Times" according to fundamentalist Christianity.
He pointed out that the complaints showed a clear violation of the separation of church and state.
US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth is known for his support of Christian nationalism. He previously supported the doctrine of "sphere sovereignty," a worldview derived from extremist Christian Reconstructionist beliefs. The philosophy calls for the death penalty for homosexuality and supports strictly patriarchal families and churches.