Pentagon Reduces Recognized Religions from 211 to 31, Streamlining Chaplaincy Support
The Department of Defense has significantly reduced the number of recognized religious affiliation categories from 211 to 31. This change marks the first major reduction in nearly a decade and revises a policy established during President Trump's first term. The update, outlined in a memo by Anthony Tata, the Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness, aims to streamline the collection of religious preferences to enhance the delivery of targeted religious support from the Chaplaincy. The revised list includes major faith traditions such as Buddhism, Hinduism, Islam, Judaism, Sikhism, and Mormonism, along with numerous Christian denominations. While agnosticism remains a recognized category, atheism and several smaller categories like Deists, Druids, and Wiccans have been removed. The original expansion of faith codes was intended to standardize and better identify religious preferences recognized by the military services. 
