War Secretary Pete Hegseth announced that military chaplains will no longer display their rank, but will instead showcase their religious insignia. The number of religious identities noted by the military’s faith coding system has also been reduced.
Discussing the number of religious affiliation codes, Hegseth explained, “The previous system had ballooned to well over 200 faith codes,” and called the old system “impractical and unusable, and many codes were never used at all.” Only six of the codes were primarily used. The number of religious affiliation codes has since dropped to 31.
“This brings the codes in line with its original purpose, giving chaplains clear, usable information so they can minister to service members in a way that aligns with that service member’s faith background and religious practice,” he stated.
“A chaplain is first and foremost a chaplain and an officer second. This change is a visual representation of that fact, specifically unique to the role of a chaplain. They are first and foremost called and ordained by God,” Hegseth said, going on to assert, “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.”
Secretary Hegseth has also ended the use of the Army Spiritual Fitness Guide.
“In an atmosphere of political correctness and secular humanism, chaplains have been minimized, viewed by many as therapists instead of ministers. Faith and virtue were traded for self-help and self-care,” Hegseth said in December. “If you need proof, just look at the current Army Spiritual Fitness Guide. In well over 100 pages, it mentions God one time. That’s it. It mentions ‘feelings’ 11 times. It even mentions ‘playfulness,’ whatever that is, nine times. There’s zero mention of virtue.” He further explained that the guide contained New Age content.
