Critics argue the reduction marginalises minority faiths within the military
The US Department of Defence has dramatically reduced the number of religions it officially recognises for service members, cutting the list from 211 down to just 31 faith codes. The move, formalised through a 20 May memorandum signed by Undersecretary of Defence Anthony Tata, marks the first revision to the list since 2017 — when it was significantly expanded.
Among those excluded from the new list are atheists, pagans, humanists and New Age belief systems. The sweeping reduction has drawn sharp criticism from religious freedom advocates and former military chaplain leadership alike, raising concerns about whether troops of minority faiths will still receive adequate support.
‘Impractical and Unusable’
Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth previewed the changes in March, framing the overhaul as a necessary administrative correction. ‘The previous system had ballooned to well over 200 faith codes,’ Hegseth said. ‘It was impractical and unusable, and many codes were never used at all.’
In a separate March statement published on the department’s website, Hegseth noted that his department’s internal review committee recommended moving forward with 31 religious affiliation codes. He also cited that 82% of service members who identify as religious use only six of the existing codes — a figure he presented as justification for the consolidation.
The revised list retains several major world religions, including agnostics, Buddhists, Hindus, Muslims, Jews, Sikhs and several major Christian denominations such as Baptists, Catholics, Lutherans and Methodists. Reporting by Military.com suggests broader categories such as ‘No Religion’ and ‘Other Religions’ are also included, though the full memorandum has not been publicly released.
Chaplains Under Pressure
The faith code reduction is part of a wider restructuring of the military’s chaplain corps under Hegseth. Alongside the revised list, the Pentagon directed serving chaplains to replace their rank insignia with religious insignia on their uniforms. ‘A chaplain is first and foremost a chaplain, and an officer second. This change is a visual representation of that fact,’ Hegseth said in a March statement. ‘Specifically unique to the role of a chaplain, they are first and foremost called and ordained by God.’
Retired General Steve Schaick, who served as Air Force chief of chaplains from 2018 to 2021, expressed concern over what the reduction could mean for smaller faith communities serving in the military. ‘To me, that would be tragic if there are chaplains that are faithfully serving maybe smaller, lesser sized organisations and their endorsement is now in jeopardy,’ he said. He noted that once a chaplain loses their ecclesiastical endorsement, they lose their legitimacy within the military.