Military chaplains' uniforms will soon send a new message. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said chaplains will stop wearing rank insignia and instead display only their religious symbols, a shift he framed as elevating their "divine calling" and making them less intimidating to approach, USA Today reports. Chaplains will keep their officer rank, but it won't be indicated on their uniform; until now, both were visible, per Military Times. Hegseth unveiled a second major change on Sunday: The Pentagon will cut its more than 200 religious "faith codes" down to 31, which he called a more usable system for matching troops with spiritual support. Others say the moves fit into a broader push to inject religion more explicitly into the military.
"A warfighter needs more than a coping mechanism," Hegseth said. "They need truth, big-T truth, they need conviction, they need a shepherd." The Pentagon has not said which faiths will make the final list or how it will serve those outside them—details experts say will determine how far the changes reshape religious life in the ranks, per USA Today. Rabbi Joel Schwartzman, a retired Air Force chaplain, warned that trimming faith codes risks sidelining minority traditions and "tampering with the chaplaincy" itself.
Historian Ronit Stahl noted some consolidation may be administrative but said Hegseth's tone and language, such as his reference to "big-T truth," reflect a belief in a singular truth following his own conservative Protestant tradition. Since taking office last year, Hegseth has focused on shaping the military's culture more to those views, per the Hill: enacting policy that bans transgender troops, reviewing whether women should serve in combat roles, and reevaluating the Defense Department's support for Scouting America unless it institutes "core value reforms."
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