The Pentagon has dramatically reduced the number of religious affiliation codes recognized by the military, trimming the list from more than 200 designations to just 31.
The change was formalized in a memo issued Thursday by Undersecretary of Defense Anthony Tata.
The update follows a directive from War Secretary Pete Hegseth earlier this year requiring military chaplains to wear insignia identifying their religious affiliation rather than insignia displaying rank.
Hegseth first previewed the change in March, noting that while the military maintained more than 200 religious affiliation codes, most service members identified with only a small number of them.
According to Hegseth, a substantial majority of military personnel utilized just six of the available codes.
The new policy reduces the list to 31 faith categories, which Pentagon officials say will make it easier for chaplains to understand and meet the religious needs of service members.
In the memo, Tata stated that the revised system will “streamline the Department of Defense collection of religious preferences for service members to enhance the delivery of targeted religious support from the Chaplaincy.”
“The new list will provide chaplains with clear, readily available information that will better enable them to anticipate the religious support needs of service members and to provide religious support activities that align with service members’ personal faith and practices,” Tata wrote.
The updated list retains major world religions including Buddhism, Hinduism, Islam, Judaism and Sikhism, as well as a range of Christian traditions such as Baptist, Catholic, Lutheran and Methodist affiliations.
At the same time, the Pentagon eliminated approximately 180 previously recognized categories. Among the religious affiliation codes removed from the system were those for Atheism, Asatru, Eckankar, New Age churches, Paganism, Spiritualism, Troth, Unitarian Universalism and various Wiccan groups.
