Pentagon Reduces Religious Designations List From More Than 200 Categories to 31
The revised list keeps 31 faith categories and officials say it will help chaplains better assess unit needs and allocate resources.
- Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth initiated the revision, calling the previous system "impractical and unusable" because most military personnel identified with only six faith categories and many codes were never used.
- The 31 recognized faiths include Christians, Buddhists, Jews, Muslims, and Sikhs. Alongside the reduction, the Pentagon directed chaplains to replace officer rank insignia with religious symbols.
- Retired Gen. Steve Schaick warned that chaplains serving smaller faiths may lose legitimacy, while critic Mehta said the list appears made by "Christian nationalists who have no awareness of the world that exists outside their bubble.
70 Articles
70 Articles
Pentagon Slashes Recognised Military Faiths From 211 to 31, Dropping Atheists, Pagans and Hundreds of Others
The US Department of Defence has dramatically reduced the number of religions it officially recognises for service members, cutting the list from 211 down to just 31 faith codes. The move, formalised through a 20 May memorandum signed by Undersecretary of Defence Anthony Tata, marks the first revision to the list since 2017 — when it was significantly expanded. Among those excluded from the new list are atheists, pagans, humanists and New Age be…
Pentagon slashes recognized religions down to just 31 faiths
The Department of Defense has significantly reduced the number of recognized religious affiliation codes used across the military, consolidating roughly 200 categories down to 31 in a broader administrative overhaul of how service members’ religious identities are recorded. Of those 31 categories, 22 are variations of Christianity, most major Protestant denominations. Social media is also pointing out the list’s inconsistencies. Catholicism is n…
GOP senator revolts over Hegseth’s ‘unacceptable’ religious decree
Sen. John Curtis (R-UT) lashed out Saturday at Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s office over a “significant change” it instituted regarding the classifications of religions, one he argued was “unacceptable” and that he was actively working to correct.This week, the Department of Defense announced tha...
Pentagon cuts its list of religious identities by 180
The Department of Defense is drastically reducing the number of religious faiths and belief systems it recognizes in its personnel records, from 211 to just 31. The military’s revised list of religious affiliation codes removed 180 previously accepted ones, according to a May 20 memo signed by Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness Anthony Tata. The codes are used to identify troops’ faith and help plan religious support service…
Pentagon Officially Removes 180 Faiths From Military Religion List
The Department of War has formally removed 180 faiths from its official list of religious affiliation codes, leaving 31 remaining, according to a memo posted by Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell on June 5. The military had initially listed 211 faith and belief codes, but that number has been sharply reduced under the direction of War Secretary Pete Hegseth, according to a memo signed by Anthony Tata, under secretary of defense for personnel and re…
NEWS HEADLINES: Pentagon replaces unused faith tracking codes with streamlined 31-religion grid – One America News Network
An aerial view of the Pentagon, which houses the US Department of Defense headquarters, in Arlington, Virginia, on May 31, 2026. (Photo by Daniel SLIM / AFP via Getty Images) OAN Staff Jenna Lee6:37 PM – Friday, June 5, 2026 The Department of War has officially dropped approximately 180 religions from its list of recognized faiths, acting on a directive from War Secretary Pete Hegseth to streamline military records. The U.S. Military Chaplain Co…
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