The U.S. Marine Corps is following the Department of Defense (DOD) and Air Force, issuing new deadlines for service members to revise their religious affiliation as part of a major shift in the U.S. Armed Forces that began months ago.
On Tuesday, the Marine Corps published its own official Marine Corps Administrative Message (MARADMINS) implementing the policy change that will affect personnel. This MARADMIN “announces implementation of the revised Department of War Religious Affiliation Codes (RAC) and directs Marines to review and update their religious affiliation information.”
Military.com was the first to report how DOD dramatically reduced its official number of recognized religious faiths and belief systems by approximately 180, from 211 to 31.
That change, discovered through an obtained 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, represented the first time the list has been officially revised since a memo was issued March 27, 2017.
On Aug. 17 of this year, the Military Departments and Defense Manpower Data Center transitioned to the new religious affiliations codes (RAC) list. The revised construct consolidates legacy faith and belief codes into the aforementioned 31 standardized religious affiliation selections.
Active Marines are directed to update their RAC within 21 calendar days from the date of this MARADMIN, or Sept. 26. Reserve Marines are directed to update their RAC within 45 calendar days.
Deployed Marines who are unable to complete the review within the applicable timeframe must review and update their RAC immediately upon redeployment, while Marines on extended leave must review and update their RAC upon return to duty.
Changes will be reviewed and updated by personnel through Marine Online.
Air Force Issues Similar Mandatory Revisions
Last Friday, the U.S. Air Force became the first service to officially implement the religious code revisions and guidelines to its personnel.
Their own memo, issued Sept. 25 through its public affairs office with a photo of an Air Force chaplain wearing a cross as religious insignia, said “mandatory actions must be completed” by Oct. 16, 2026, for active duty members, and Nov. 9, 2026, for Air Force Reserve and Air National Guard members.
“Our commitment to the spiritual readiness and religious freedom of every Airman and Guardian remains steadfast,” said Richard Anderson, assistant secretary of the Air Force for Manpower and Reserve Affairs, in a statement.
“Transitioning to these standardized codes ensures our Chaplain Corps has the accurate demographic data they need to provide tailored resources and support to our Service members, while continuing to respect their individual convictions,” Anderson added.
How Religious Shift is Taking Shape
The downsizing of recognized religions, which at the time of the DOD directive and Tata memo called for previously instituted faith and belief codes to be revised within a 60-day period from the issuance of the memorandum, received scrutiny due to the myriad faiths being essentially eliminated—albeit not on service members’ dog tags.
The faiths left standing include Agnostics, Buddhists, Hindus, Islam (Muslims), Judaism, Sikh, and a wide range of Christian-based groups like Baptists, Catholics, Lutherans and Methodists.
This restructuring of faith codes, which help identify service members as well as the military in planning for appropriated religious coverage to include them, excluded minority faith/worldview groups including Atheists, Asatru, Deists, Druids, Eckankar, Heathens, Humanists, Magick, New Age churches, Pagan, Rosicrucianism, Shaman, Spiritualists, Troth, Unitarian Universalists and various Wiccans.
Following the Air Force memo, a senior-ranking active-duty member of the Air Force who has served more than two decades and describes themselves as an atheist, told Military.com that they were “caught off guard” and unsure of whether they will revise their own code by the stipulated deadline.
“My initial confusion quickly turned into outrage—not just for myself, but for the other Airmen and Guardians who may have the same belief system as I do, or belief system that isn’t one of the 31 options,” the senior-ranking member told Military.com.
A former military chaplain and self-described devout Christian, who now acts as an endorser, told Military.com last Saturday that the new guidance is an “attempt to push Christianity onto the troops, and there’s implicit intimidation there.”
