Lt. Gen. William G. "Jerry" Boykin was a former commander and 13-year veteran of the top-secret Delta Force, and deputy undersecretary of defense for intelligence when he set off criticisms after saying that his God, was bigger than Islam's.

Boykin spoke at over 20 meetings with Evangelical leaders, telling them that the US is a Christian nation, and that "We in the army of God, in the house of God, kingdom of God have been raised for such a time as this ... our spiritual enemy will only be defeated if we come against them in the name of Jesus."

Boykin's statements were defended by Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld. "There are a lot of things that are said by people that are their views, and that's the way we live. We are free people and that's the wonderful thing about our country, and I think for anyone to run around and think that can be managed or controlled is probably wrong."