(LifeSiteNews) — The Pentagon has announced that the Department of War (DoW) has excluded 180 previously recognized religious categories for U.S. service members, including atheism, Wicca, and a vast array of woke and new age “religions.”
“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, adding that 82 percent of members who identify as religious use only six of the codes.
“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,” explained Hegseth at the time.
At the same time, Hegseth announced that the rank insignia that military chaplains wear on their work uniforms will be replaced by their religious insignia. “A chaplain is first and foremost a chaplain, and an officer second. This change is a visual representation of that fact,” said Hegseth.
“These two reforms are big progress, but we’re not even close to being done. These are the first steps toward restoring the esteemed position of chaplain as moral anchors of our fighting force,” Hegseth said.
Undersecretary of Defense Anthony Tata announced on Thursday that the revised system will “streamline the DoW collection of religious preferences for service members to enhance the delivery of targeted religious support from the Chaplaincy.”
Military.com reports:
This restructuring of faith codes, which help identify service members as well as the military in planning for appropriated religious coverage to include them, has now excluded minority faith/worldview groups including Atheists, Asatru, Deists, Druids, Eckankar, Heathens, Humanists, Magick, New Age churches, Pagan, Rosicrucianism, Shaman, Spiritualists, Troth, Unitarian Universalists and various Wiccans.
Of the remaining 31 religious affiliation codes, 21 are considered by the DoW to be Christian. Others still on the list are: Agnostic, No Religion, Other Religion, Baha’i faith, Buddhism, Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, Hindu, Islam, and Judaism.
In an upbeat video message posted to social media in December, Hegseth decried the current “degraded” role of the military’s chaplain corps.
“In an atmosphere of political correctness and secular humanism, chaplains have been minimized, viewed by many as therapists instead of ministers,” recounted Hegseth. “Faith and virtue were traded for self-help and self-care.”
We are going to make the Chaplain Corps great again. pic.twitter.com/xbKZBdbiSR
— Secretary of War Pete Hegseth (@SecWar) December 17, 2025
“As a first step toward creating a supportive environment for our warriors and their souls, we’re going to restore the esteemed position of chaplains as moral anchors for our fighting force,” declared the secretary of war.
“The chaplain is the pastor, and the shepherd of the souls entrusted to his care,” noted Hegseth, quoting the 1956 Army Chaplain’s Manual.
“This is a high and sacred calling,” he said. “But this only works if our shepherds are actually given the freedom to boldly guide and care for their flock.”