Defense Secretary Orders Military Chaplains to Remove Rank Insignia from Uniforms, Instead Displaying Faith Symbols

This directive, announced via video statement by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on March 24, 2026, with a memorandum to follow, removes rank insignia from the uniforms worn by military chaplains across the Department of Defense. Chaplains retain their commissioned officer rank for purposes of pay, command relationships, and personnel administration, but their uniforms will no longer display rank insignia — only a symbol denoting their religious faith. Hegseth framed the change as reflecting "the difficult balance of the duality of a military chaplain. A chaplain is first and foremost a chaplain and an officer second. This change is a visual representation of that fact." He further asserted that removing rank insignia allows chaplains to "be seen among the highest ranks because of their divine calling." The change is part of a broader campaign by Hegseth to reshape the Chaplain Corps, announced in a December 2025 message directing what he described as a "top-down cultural shift" placing "spiritual well-being on the same footing as physical and mental health."