OAN Staff Jenna Lee
6:37 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 Corps previously recognized more than 200 faith codes that service members could affiliate with. According to Military.com, that number now sits at just 31 following a memorandum signed by Anthony Tata, Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness.
“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 in the memo.
The reforms mark the first time the list has been officially revised since March 27, 2017. Military leadership stated the goal of the reduction is to simplify the collection of religious preferences and enhance the delivery of targeted spiritual support from the Chaplaincy. The mandate calls for the previously instituted faith and belief codes to be updated within a 60-day period.
Under the new structure, the military will no longer explicitly recognize Atheists, Asatru, Deists, Druids, Eckankar, Heathens, Humanists, Magick, New Age churches, Pagan, Rosicrucianism, Shaman, Spiritualists, Troth, Unitarian Universalists and Wiccans.
Service members adhering to these belief systems will now be grouped under broader designations such as “Other Religions” or “No Religion.”
The streamlined list will continue to recognize Agnostics, Buddhists, Hindus, Muslims, Jews, and Sikhs, and followers of a variety of Christian denominations (including Baptists, Catholics, Lutherans and Methodists).
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