The United States Department of War has established an Office of Religious Affairs to oversee religious support and strengthen the “moral, ethical and spiritual readiness” of American military personnel.
The new office was created through a memorandum issued on Wednesday to senior Pentagon leadership, combatant commanders, defence agency directors and Department of War field activities.
The memorandum takes effect immediately and creates the position of Director of the Office of Religious Affairs, a Principal Staff Assistant with direct access to the Secretary of War.
According to the document, the director will serve as the principal adviser to the Secretary and Deputy Secretary of War on religious affairs across the department.
New office to oversee military religious programmes
The Office of Religious Affairs will be responsible for ensuring that adequate resources are available for religious affairs while aligning departmental policies with the free exercise of religion and spiritual readiness.
Its responsibilities will include funding for religious ministry, chapels, facilities and infrastructure, logistics, chaplain procurement programmes, and training and education for chaplains and religious support teams.
The office will also oversee chaplain-led initiatives, chapel youth programmes and faith-based home-schooling support for military families.
The memorandum further authorises the office to sponsor research, technology and analytical tools designed to support and assess spiritual fitness, spiritual readiness and spiritual resilience across the US military.
It will also support faith-based initiatives aimed at reducing suicide and strengthening the resilience of military personnel, as well as contracted services provided by faith-based non-Federal organisations.
Memorandum Protects Freedom of Religion
Despite the expanded role of the new office, the memorandum explicitly states that it does not require military personnel or civilian employees to participate in religious activities.
“Nothing in this memorandum shall be construed to compel religious participation or to diminish the free exercise rights of any Service member, civilian employee, or family member of any faith or no faith,” the document stated.
The director will have authority to align existing policies and, where necessary, issue policies concerning religious affairs on behalf of the Secretary of War.
The office will also represent the Secretary of War on religious-affairs matters in engagements with Congress, other government departments and agencies, and civilian religious endorsing organisations.
Chaplains Board Placed Under New Director
The memorandum places the Armed Forces Chaplains Board and its executive director under the authority, direction and control of the new Director of Religious Affairs.
The move gives the new office oversight of a broad range of religious-support functions across the military.
The Secretaries of the Military Departments, working with their respective Chiefs of Chaplains, have also been directed to submit comprehensive reports within 90 days identifying unfunded and underfunded religious-affairs requirements.
The reports will cover religious ministry, facilities, logistics, chaplain-led programmes, youth programmes, faith-based home-schooling support, suicide-reduction initiatives and contracted faith-based services.
They will also assess requirements for research and technology related to spiritual fitness and resilience, chaplain procurement, and training and education for chaplains and religious support teams.
Office to Receive Dedicated Budget
The memorandum directs the Director of Cost Assessment and Program Evaluation, working with the Under Secretary of War (Comptroller) and Chief Financial Officer, to establish an initial baseline budget for the office.
A funding plan for fiscal year 2027 is expected within 60 days.
The Director of Administration and Management has 90 days to formalise the office within the Department of War’s organisational structure and draft a directive formally establishing it.
The official is also required to identify the initial Senior Executive Service, civilian and military positions needed to establish the office.
The new structure is therefore expected to give religious affairs a dedicated organisational and budgetary presence within the US military.
