Changes to Military Chaplaincy Recognition

The Department of War has officially removed around 180 religions from its recognized list, following instructions from War Secretary Pete Hegseth aimed at streamlining military records.

Previously, the U.S. Military Chaplain Corps acknowledged over 200 faith codes for service members. As reported, that number has now dropped to just 31 after a memorandum signed by Anthony Tata, who serves as the Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness.

Tata noted in the memo that, “The new list will provide chaplains with clear, readily available information that will better enable them to anticipate the religious support needs of service members and to provide religious support activities that align with service members’ personal faith and practices.”

This reform represents the first official revision of the list since March 27, 2017. Military officials indicated that the intent behind this reduction is to simplify the collection of religious preferences and improve the delivery of specific spiritual support through the Chaplaincy. The mandate requests that the previous codes be updated within a 60-day timeframe.

Under this new system, the military will no longer directly recognize Atheists, Asatru, Deists, Druids, Eckankar, Heathens, Humanists, Magick, New Age churches, Pagan, Rosicrucianism, Shaman, Spiritualists, Troth, Unitarian Universalists, and Wiccans.

Service members with these beliefs will now fall under broader categories like “Other Religions” or “No Religion.”

However, the simplified list will still recognize Agnostics, Buddhists, Hindus, Muslims, Jews, and Sikhs, along with various Christian denominations such as Baptists, Catholics, Lutherans, and Methodists.