Pentagon Cuts Recognized Military Faith Codes From Over 200 To 31

The Pentagon cut the military's recognized religious-preference codes from more than 200 to 31 in a memo issued Thursday, June 4, 2026.^[1]

Undersecretary of Defense Anthony Tata issued the memo saying the change will streamline how the Department of Defense collects religious-preference data and improve targeted support from the Chaplain Corps.^[1] The revised list retains major faiths including Islam, Judaism, Buddhism, Hinduism and Sikhism, plus agnosticism and several Christian denominations such as Baptist, Catholic, Lutheran and Methodist.^[1] The Pentagon also directed chaplains to remove visible rank insignia in favor of religious insignia, and Secretary Pete Hegseth said chaplains are "first and foremost" chaplains and officers second.^[1]

The military had long used an extensive list of individual preference codes to capture service members' diverse faiths. The memo pares that system into a much shorter roster to make religious-preference data easier to analyze and to help the Chaplain Corps allocate support more directly. The change will alter how personnel record religious preference in official systems and could affect how smaller faith communities appear in military records.

1. Fox News