By Eliabeth Black/Christian reporter. USA
Military chaplains, all of whom are officers, will no longer wear their rank insignia on their uniforms, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Tuesday. Instead, chaplains will display a symbol of their religion. The change will remind everyone that chaplains should be primarily viewed as spiritual guides with a divine calling, though their roles as officers still matter, Hegseth said. He also said the move could alleviate hesitation that junior service members might feel when approaching a senior officer.
The Chaplain Corps will recognize only 31 religious affiliations, down from its prior list of over 200, he said. Most affiliations on the old list were never used, he said. The change would ensure chaplains had clear guidelines for ministering to service members, he said.
Hegseth also said the changes were part of a pivot away from self-help and from regarding chaplains as therapists. Chaplains were the spiritual and moral backbone of the U.S. armed forces, he said. Over eight in ten U.S. fighters identified as religious, and their spiritual health was just as important as their physical health, he said. More changes to revamp the Chaplain Corps will be made later, he said.
