Pentagon excludes 180 denominations from list of recognized religions

Pentagon. Photo: Anadolu Agency

The U.S. Department of Defense has officially removed 180 denominations from its list of recognized religions. According to an order by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, the number of denominations that military personnel can indicate in their documents has been reduced from more than 200 to 31, reports the Fox News.

A memorandum from Deputy Defense Secretary Anthony Tata states that this decision should "streamline data collection" and help chaplains more effectively provide "targeted religious support." The updated list includes agnostics, Buddhists, Hindus, Muslims, Jews, Sikhs, as well as a number of Christian groups, including Baptists, Catholics, Lutherans, and Methodists.

Pete Hegseth justified the reform by stating that the old system had "ballooned" and become "unusable," as many codes were never used in practice. According to his data, the overwhelming majority of personnel identify themselves by just six main categories.

Parallel to this, the Pentagon has mandated that active chaplains replace military rank insignia with religious symbols. Hegseth stated that a chaplain is first and foremost a servant of God, and only then an officer, and their status should not depend on visible rank.

As the UOJ reported, a former Pentagon advisor accused Zelensky of destroying Christians.

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