Key facts
- The Department of Defense removed 180 faiths from its recognized religions list.
- The number of recognized faith codes for servicemembers is now 31.
- The change was announced via a memo from Undersecretary of Defense Anthony Tata.
- The new list aims to streamline religious support delivery.
- Chaplains are now directed to replace rank insignia with religious insignia.
The Department of Defense has officially removed 180 faiths from its list of recognized religions, a change previously announced by War Secretary Pete Hegseth. The U.S. Military Chaplain Corps' list of recognized faith codes for servicemembers has been reduced from over 200 to just 31, according to a memo issued by Undersecretary of Defense Anthony Tata. Tata stated that the change is intended to streamline the collection of religious preferences and enhance the delivery of targeted religious support. The updated list includes major religions such as Agnostics, Buddhists, Hindus, Islam, Judaism, and Sikh, alongside various Christian denominations like Baptists, Catholics, Lutherans, and Methodists. Hegseth had previously explained that the extensive list of over 200 codes had become impractical and unusable, with many codes rarely used. He noted that the majority of military members fit under just six of the original faith codes. In conjunction with this change, the Pentagon also directed chaplains to replace their visible rank insignia with their religious insignia, emphasizing that a chaplain is first and foremost a chaplain, and an officer second.