Lead story
Editor's note:
The Pentagon recently eliminated roughly 180 religious affiliation codes, reducing the list to 31 and folding many faiths into the category of "Other Religion." This includes Native American traditions. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said the change was necessary because the system had become too unwieldy.
These seemingly obscure codes serve an important purpose, writes Kerri J. Malloy, a professor of Native American studies. They help the military assign chaplains, plan for religious holidays and attend to ceremonial needs, among others.
In particular, Malloy argues that without a distinct code, there is no way to know how many service members observe Native traditions. The change is a reminder of a painful history in which Native nations' distinct religious identities were dissolved into a single American – and largely Protestant Christian – mold.
There are also practical consequences. Removing the codes makes it, as Malloy writes, "harder to see a religious group and therefore harder to staff for, plan around and justify spending on" them.
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