Hegset ordered a reduction in the list of official religions in the U.S. military
The U.S. Department of Defense has carried out a major overhaul of the system for tracking service members’ religious affiliations, reducing the official list of religions by 180 entries.
The changes were initiated by Pentagon chief Pete Hagset, who called the previous system too complex and ineffective for practical use.
According to Defense Department officials, the previous list contained a large number of religious codes, many of which were not actually used by service members. The reform is intended to simplify the work of military chaplains and improve the effectiveness of spiritual support for personnel.
A memo from Deputy Secretary of Defense Anthony Tata notes that the new approach will allow for better consideration of the religious needs of service members.
“The new list will provide chaplains with clear and easily accessible information that will allow them to better anticipate service members’ needs for religious support and conduct religious support activities that align with service members’ personal beliefs and practices,” Tata noted.
After reviewing the list, the Pentagon retained 31 officially recognized religions and denominations. The updated list includes:
- Catholics;
- Baptists;
- Lutherans;
- Methodists;
- Islam;
- Judaism;
- Buddhism;
- Hinduism;
- Sikhism;
- agnosticism, and other major religious groups.
According to Hegset, most American service members identify with these specific faiths, while a significant portion of the removed codes had not been used for a long time.
“The vast majority of service members use only six primary religious codes,” the Pentagon chief emphasized.
In addition to reducing the list of religions, the changes also affected military chaplains. The Pentagon decided to replace traditional officer insignia with symbols of religious affiliation.
The department explains that the innovation is intended to highlight the primary mission of military chaplains.
“A chaplain is, first and foremost, a chaplain, and only then an officer. This change is a visual reflection of that fact,” said Pete Hagset.
The U.S. Department of Defense believes that the new system will help streamline bureaucratic procedures, improve the efficiency of the chaplaincy service, and focus on the real needs of service members.
The reform is also intended to adapt the religious support system to the current composition of the U.S. military, where the vast majority of personnel belong to the world’s major religions or do not identify with smaller denominations.
Earlier, U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hagset, during a speech at the Shangri-Lain Singapore, stated that the Pentagon would ramp up weapons production and restructure the defense industry on a significantly larger scale, which in the future would allow for substantially greater support for Ukraine across all key areas.
Earlier, Hagset explained the U.S. position on funding for Ukraine.
Meanwhile, U.S. President Donald Trump stated that Washington may reduce its military presence not only in Germany but also in other European countries, particularly Italy and Spain. He sharply criticized NATO allies, stating that some of them had “done nothing to help” the U.S., and did not rule out a review of the American military presence in Europe.
