Pentagon Cuts 180 Religious Identities From Military Personnel Records

Summary

The Pentagon has slashed the number of religious identities available to service members from 221 down to 31, a streamlining that disproportionately affects non-Christian faiths. The new policy eliminates options like Satanism, Wicca, and dozens of specific Christian denominations, leaving 22 of the remaining 31 categories for Christian traditions. Officials characterized the move as a routine administrative simplification of personnel records, but the result raises questions about representation for the military's religious minorities, particularly those outside Christianity.