Pete Hegseth, US secretary of defense, during a House Armed Services Committee hearing in Washington, DC, US, on Wednesday, April 29, 2026. The hearing is set to examine the Department of Defense 2027 budget request. Photographer: Daniel Heuer/Bloomb
Previously, the U.S. Military Chaplain Corps maintained more than 200 faith codes that service members could use to identify their religious affiliation. According to Military.com, that number has now been cut to 31 under a memo issued Thursday by Undersecretary of Defense Anthony Tata.
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In the memo, Tata said the change will “streamline the DoW collection of religious preferences for service members to enhance the delivery of targeted religious support from the Chaplaincy.”
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The revised list continues to recognize Agnostics, Buddhists, Hindus, Muslims, Jews, Sikhs, and several Christian denominations, including Baptists, Catholics, Lutherans, and Methodists, Military.com reported.
“The previous system had ballooned to well over 200 faith codes.… It was impractical and unusable, and many codes were never used at all,” Hegseth said in March. He also noted that most military personnel identified with only six of those faith categories.
The Pentagon simultaneously announced another change affecting military chaplains, directing them to wear religious insignia in place of rank insignia.
He added, “Specifically unique to the role of a chaplain, they are first and foremost called and ordained by God. And, while they will retain rank as an officer to those they serve, their rank will not be visible.”
