DoD Officially Drops 180 Faiths from Military's Recognized Religion List
Key takeaways
- Defense Secretary Hegseth previously announced the change due to an "impractical" system.
- The reforms mark the first time the list has been officially revised since a memo was issued March 27, 2017, decreasing the total number of faiths from 211 to its new number of 31.
- He added that members will not be limited to the list of “religious affiliation codes” when selecting information for their dog tags.
Defense Secretary Hegseth previously announced the change due to an "impractical" system.
The seal is seen on a podium at the Pentagon, Wednesday, Dec. 10, 2025, in Washington, before Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth speaks. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein) Add Us On follow Follow followed Followed Like Like Thread 108 Log in Here is a fact-based summary of the story contents: Try something different: Show me the facts Explain it like I’m 5 Give me a lighthearted recap Military.com has learned that the Department of Defense, for the first time in almost 10 years, has dramatically reduced its number of recognized religious faiths and belief systems by approximately 180.
The reforms mark the first time the list has been officially revised since a memo was issued March 27, 2017, decreasing the total number of faiths from 211 to its new number of 31. The changes were iterated in a May 20, 2026, memorandum issued by the Under Secretary of War and signed by Anthony Tata, under secretary of defense for personnel and readiness of the United States, and obtained by Military.com.