18

Commanders and Free Exercise of 

Religion – A Chaplain’s Perspective

by Chaplain (Colonel) Rajmund Kopec 

Command Chaplain, U.S. Army Forces Command

Introduction

Freedom is the heartbeat of the United States of America. 

Protecting freedom was the overarching purpose of the 

Declaration of Independence (August 2, 1776), the U.S. 

Constitution (March 4, 1789), and the Bill of Rights (December 

15, 1791).The First Amendment alone guarantees freedom of 

speech, press, religion, and the rights to peaceable assembly 

and to petition the government. Protecting these freedoms is 

the crux of U.S. military service. Though Soldiers accept some 

limitations on personal freedoms to fulfill their obligations, they do 
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The Free Exercise of Religion and Spirituality in the Army

not forfeit their right to the free exercise 

of religion. Rather, Commanders at every 

echelon are charged with guaranteeing 

this right to their Soldiers.

Guaranteeing the free exercise of 

religion serves several important 

functions. Religion provides important 

continuity between the civilian population 

and the military. According to a 2019 

report by the Congressional Research 

Center, approximately 73.3% of active 

duty military personnel identify with a 

religious denomination.1

 This religious 

identification provides entry-level military 

personnel with familiarity, comfort, 

stability, and direction as they transition 

into the unique culture of the military. 

Soldiers, furthermore, must accept 

greater risk and distress by the 

very nature of their profession. The 

experiences of facing death, being 

isolated from family and established 

support systems, and witnessing the 

horrors of war move many Soldiers 

to reevaluate the religion, faith, or 

philosophical concepts that guide 

their lives. Providing religious support 

as Soldiers grapple with the deep 

existential questions that arise during 

conflict significantly contributes to a 

Soldier’s morale and will to fight. “[T]

he Continental Congress established 

the chaplaincy as an integral part of the 

Army of the United States”2

 on July 29, 

1775 to assist Commanders to meet 

the religious needs of their Soldiers. 

The War Department expanded this 

assistance on December 28, 1909 by 

authorizing an enlisted Soldier’s position 

of Religious Affairs Specialist.

What follows in rest of this article is a 

U.S. Army Senior Chaplain’s perspective 

on the legal obligations and challenges 

Commanders face in ensuring the free 

exercise of religion for their Soldiers. The 

article focuses on the relevant Joint and 

U.S. Army doctrine, examines common 

obstacles, and shares some best 

practices with an emphasis on Chaplain 

Corps responsibilities and capabilities 

around internal advisement. The 

information is relevant to all echelons 

from a battalion to an Army Command. 

The article focuses on Chaplains but 

also applies to the role of Religious 

Affairs Specialists. 

The U.S. Army and Joint Doctrine

The regulatory guidance on internal 

advisement helps Commanders 

balance the inherent tension between 

the Establishment and Free Exercise 

Clauses. To this end, it is crucial 

for Chaplains and Religious Affairs 

Specialists to know and understand Joint 

and Army doctrine that are the guides 

and authorities for the Commander 

in carrying out their responsibility of 

providing religious support.

Army Regulation 165-1, Army Chaplain 

Corps Activities, provides a summary 

of the historical, constitutional, and 

legal basis for the Chaplain Corps and 

points out the challenge of “striking a 

balance between the Establishment 

and Free Exercise Clauses” of the 
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The Free Exercise of Religion and Spirituality in the Army

Constitution.3 Of particular note, the 

regulation states that providing for the 

free exercise of religion for Soldiers 

and dependents is a Commander’s 

responsibility, “Commanders provide 

for the free exercise of religion through 

assigned chaplains, Religious Affairs 

Specialists, and other religious support 

personnel.”4

 The Chaplain Corps 

assists the Commander in this effort 

by providing religious support and 

advising Commanders on the impact 

of religion, “As a professional military 

religious leader, the chaplain must have 

the capability to perform or provide 

religious support that accommodates 

the Soldier’s right to the free exercise of 

religion, and support resilience efforts to 

sustain Soldiers, Family Members, and 

authorized Civilians. As the professional 

military religious staff advisor, the 

chaplain advises the Commander and 

staff on morals, morale, ethical issues, 

and the impact of religion on all aspects 

of military operations.”5

Field Manual 1-05, Religious Support,

notes the important distinction between 

internal and external advisement. The 

FM corrects an imbalance in religious 

advisement created by twenty years 

of counterinsurgency operations 

that focused primarily on external 

advisement to assess the impact of 

religion on military operations in the 

context of indigenous populations. 

Internal advisement, which Army 

Techniques Publication 1-05.04 

defines “as a required religious support 

capability that advises on religion, 

morals, and morale within units, 

and ethical decision making of the 

command,”6

 is the advisement capacity 

for which Chaplains are best suited.

Joint Guide 1-05, Religious Affairs 

in Joint Operations articulates the 

same principles as FM 1-05 even 

though it uses slightly different 

terminology. “Religious affairs are the 

commander’s responsibility. Religious 

affairs consist of the combination of 

RS [religious support] and religious 

advisement.”7

 It repeats the emphasis 

on advisement, which it defines 

as “the practice of informing the 

commander on the impact of religion 

on joint operations to include, but 

not be limited to, worship, rituals, 

protected places, customs, and 

practices of US military personnel, 

international forces, and the 

indigenous population, as well as the 

potential impact of military operations 

on the religious and humanitarian 

issues in the OA [operational area].”8

Obstacles

COMMON LANGUAGE

Clarifying terms is the first step. There 

is vagueness and disagreement around 

the terms “religion” and “spirituality.” 

Most interlocutors enter the conversation 

with strongly held preconceived notions 

about the meaning of these words and 

how they should be used. Terminology, 

for this reason, poses a challenge to 

effective internal advisement. Some 

Soldiers describe themselves as spiritual 
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The Free Exercise of Religion and Spirituality in the Army

but not religious, while some see 

themselves as religious and spiritual, 

while still others self-describe as 

religious but not spiritual. This task is 

further complicated by those who dislike 

the Army’s definitions of the terms 

religion and spirituality. Nevertheless, 

working with the Army’s definitions is a 

critical first step in discussing religious 

support in the Army.

Army Regulation 600-20, Army 

Command Policy defines religion as “a 

personal set or institutionalized system 

of attitudes, moral or ethical beliefs 

and practices held with the strength 

of traditional views, characterized by 

ardor and faith, and generally evidenced 

through specific observances.”9

 The first 

two words of this definition, “a personal 

set,” reflect a broadened understanding 

of traditional definitions of religion to 

include a variety of belief systems as the 

basis for religious practice. Historically 

religion was understood as a formalized 

community expression of shared beliefs 

and practices. The military definition 

now extends the concept of religion 

from a community expression to an 

individual expression. Under this rubric 

we now have religious communities that 

consist of one member. This significantly 

changes the landscape of religious 

support, internal advisement, and the 

free exercise of religion.

The ambiguity of the updated definition 

of religion is playing out in the COVID-19 

religious accommodation exemption 

for immunization process. Historically, 

Chaplains conducted religious 

accommodation interviews to determine 

if a particular practice or conviction was 

part of the expressed belief system, “The 

chaplain must provide a memorandum 

that summarizes the interview and 

addresses the religious basis and 

sincerity of the Soldier’s request.”10

The updated definition now reduces 

the Chaplain to making a subjective 

judgment on the “sincerity” of the 

personal belief. Nevertheless, this is how 

the Army has defined religion. 

The Army’s definition of spirituality 

is even more expansive than that 

of religion. Army Regulation 350-

53 concludes that “an individual’s 

spirituality draws upon personal, 

philosophical, psychological, and/

or religious teachings or beliefs, and 

forms the basis of their character.”11

Field Manual 7-22 states that 

“Spirituality is often described as 

a sense of connection that gives 

meaning and purpose to a person’s 

life. It is unique to each individual. 

The spiritual dimension applies to 

all people, whether religious or nonreligious.”12 The FM defines the 

spiritual (not spirituality) as “concerned 

with an individual’s core religious, 

philosophical, or human values that 

form that individual’s sense of identity, 

purpose, motivation, character, and 

integrity. These elements enable one 

to build inner strength, make meaning 

of experiences, behave ethically, 

persevere through challenges, and be 

resilient when faced with adversity.”13

These definitions buttress what is now 
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the fourth domain of Army readiness, 

Spirituality. The definition of spirituality 

is broad enough to refer to the 

universal human need and longing 

for meaning that undergird human 

experience of the transcendent.

This expansive definition of spirituality 

challenges more narrowly defined 

conceptions of the idea. For example, 

the traditional Catholic conception 

of spirituality is “the ways in which 

people, beyond the ordinary practices 

of the faith, have sought to live their 

Christian lives more intensely... the 

sort of religious attention that goes 

beyond the ordinary observances of 

practicing Catholics in the sacramental 

life of the church.”14 Nevertheless, the 

broad description relies on more than 

twenty years of scientific observations 

and research examining the correlation 

between religiosity, spirituality, and 

psychology. Drawing on this body of 

research a prominent scholar defines 

spirituality as “an inner sense of 

relationship to a higher power that 

is loving and guiding. The word we 

give to this higher power might be 

God, nature, spirit, the universe, the 

creator, or other words that represent 

a divine presence. But the important 

point is that spirituality encompasses 

our relationship and dialogue with this 

higher presence.”15 This definition and 

the accumulated research of a diverse 

group of social science disciplines 

provide the foundation for Army 

doctrine, policy, and efforts such as the 

Spiritual Readiness Initiative.

NAVIGATING THE MILITARY ENVIRONMENT: 

Another source of religious support 

friction are the differences between 

civilian and military religious 

communities. What is appropriate 

and legal in a civilian parish is not 

necessarily so in a military religious 

community operating in a base chapel. 

The most common misunderstandings 

are related to handling and spending 

chapel tithes and offerings funds, 

chapel ornamentation, naming 

chapels, or volunteers satisfying Title 

10 requirements. Commanders and 

Chaplains must not assume that what is 

fruitful and legal in the civilian sector is 

so in the military. 

To this end, Chaplains must have a 

fundamental knowledge of the laws 

and regulations that guide chapelbased programs to advise their 

commands. To their pastoral skills they 

must add the staff skills necessary 

to successfully navigate the military 

environment. In other words, Chaplains 

must possess a professional identity 

that recognizes divine calling in clerical 

and staff officer functions. 

Best Practices

BUILDING TRUST WITH COMMANDERS

At the beginning of each new assignment 

the Chaplain has the opportunity to 

establish a relationship of trust with the 

Commander. The Chaplain who exhibits 

professional knowledge, skills, behavior, 

and a genuine concern for each member 

of the command enriches the relationship 
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by building trust. According to MerriamWebster trust is “assured reliance on 

the character, ability, strength, or truth of 

someone or something or dependence 

on something future or contingent.”16 Not 

surprisingly, according to the Harvard 

Business Review, trust is an outcome of 

three elements: positive relationships, 

good judgment/expertise, and 

consistency.17 All this research aligns with 

Colonel (Retired) Patrick J. Sweeney’s 

conclusions that competence, character, 

and caring are the fundamental factors 

of trust.18 Armed with this understanding, 

every Chaplain should set out to enrich 

their relationship with their Commander 

in a manner that fosters the necessary 

cooperation for providing religious support.

UNDERSTANDING YOUR COMMANDER 

Chaplains at every echelon are 

frequently welcomed with the sincere 

and endearing charge, “Chaplain, just 

take care of my Soldiers.” Though 

the Commander’s intent is constant, 

the expectations vary significantly 

about how this should transpire. Some 

Commanders have had bad experiences 

with Chaplains so have very low 

expectations, while others are happy 

with their “senior pastor.” 

Effective Chaplains learn to meet 

their Commanders where they are. 

These Chaplains are cognizant of the 

wide range of religious backgrounds 

and experiences a Commander may 

possess. Chaplains cheerfully learn 

their Commander’s preferences, 

temperament, previous experiences with 

Chaplains, and how they like to receive 

information. The Chaplain who develops 

an understanding of their Commander 

will have the most opportunities for 

effective internal advisement. 

UNIT, AREA, AND DISTINCTIVE RELIGIOUS 

GROUP COVERAGE

It is natural for Commanders to prioritize 

the religious support of their own 

Soldiers. Nevertheless, it is incumbent 

upon Chaplains to ensure their 

Commanders understand the importance 

of area coverage, the means by which 

Commanders share religious support 

assets to ensure that even minority faith 

groups receive Chaplain support. No 

single Chaplain can meet the totality 

of religious need in the command. 

Even though every Chaplain is part of 

an endorsing body that “supports the 

pluralistic requirements of the Army 

without relinquishing their respective 

religious demands,”19 all Chaplains 

have ministerial restrictions. To protect 

the individual Chaplain’s own right to 

free exercise of religion, each Chaplain 

must advise Commanders on pastoral 

limitations established by their Endorser 

while simultaneously explaining how 

the religious support gaps can be filled 

by leveraging area and distinctive 

religious group concepts. Army doctrine 

provides the justification for this leverage 

“chaplains are responsible for the unit, 

area, and distinctive religious group 

religious support. Operational orders 

will document recurring coverage 

responsibilities of chaplain duties beyond 

their assigned unit. Priority of support is 
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normally to the unit, then the area, and 

then distinctive religious groups.”20

Advising Commanders on this aspect 

of the Army’s doctrine requires proper 

framing and context. First, area 

coverage, if properly planned and 

executed, benefits the unit. In a field 

environment, it reduces risk and saves 

time on travel where separated by 

distance. Second, area coverage and 

distinctive religious group coverage 

are an expression of Army teamwork, 

ensuring that low density faith groups are 

afforded religious support. By “sharing” a 

Rabbi, an Imam, or a Catholic Priest, the 

Commander helps fellow Commanders 

to fulfill their legal obligation for the free 

exercise of religion of every member of 

the command. 

TRANSLATING RELIGIOUS PRACTICES INTO 

THE ARMY’S LANGUAGE

Every good anthropologist knows that 

the key to effective communication is 

learning the host culture’s language. The 

Army is no different. The more fluent 

the Chaplain is in translating religious 

support into operational language, the 

more effective the message and support. 

To provide effective internal advisement, 

Chaplains translate religious support into 

the Army’s language, to include the use 

of data and data interpretation.

In recognition of the Army’s appetite for 

data and the historic Chaplain aversion 

for detailed reporting, the Chaplain 

Corps has embarked upon an ambitious 

effort to establish an integrated reporting 

management system known as OS56. 

This reporting system will help the Army, 

the Chaplain Corps, and the individual 

Chaplain track trends, measure 

effectiveness, and tailor care for Soldiers 

and Families. 

The Army expects its officers to be able 

to interpret data. What does a spike in 

suicidal ideation counseling in a brigade 

mean? Should the Commander be 

concerned that their unit is at higher 

suicide risk and increase prevention 

efforts? Or does it mean that current 

prevention methods are working, and 

Soldiers are comfortable with asking for 

help? Though all interpretation efforts 

should be approached with the humility 

that complexity and limited knowledge 

dictate, Chaplains must develop 

the skills to interpret the data and 

recommend courses of action.

Chaplains should be open in their desire 

to cultivate in-person interactions with 

Commanders as a critical component 

of effective communication. However, 

this desire must be tempered with 

the recognition that face-to-face 

interactions are constrained by time and 

mission. Recognizing the severe time 

constraints under which Commanders 

work, Chaplains must learn to use 

established communication processes 

and instruments. The Army provides 

a wide range of tools and formats to 

communicate the religious support 

effort to include the Commander Master 

Religious Support Plan, the operational 

order process, staff update briefings 

(learn to think past the “the thought of 

the day”), information papers, executive 
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The Free Exercise of Religion and Spirituality in the Army

summaries, concept of operations 

briefs, decision briefings, etc. Effective 

communication by the Chaplain is 

incumbent upon effective use of these 

instruments for internal advisement. 

FIELD MANUAL 7-22, HOLISTIC HEALTH 

AND FITNESS

The Publication of the Field Manual 

7-22 formalizes the space in which 

Commanders and Chaplains interact. 

It establishes authoritative doctrine on 

spirituality as one of the five holistic 

health and fitness domains: physical, 

nutritional, mental, spiritual, and sleep 

readiness.21 It also provides practical 

information to leaders on how to ensure 

the spiritual readiness of their respective 

units and stresses the supporting role of 

the Chaplain Corps. 

Second, the manual opens natural 

avenues for Commanders and Chaplains 

to engage Soldiers on issues of religion 

and spirituality. It reverses the ongoing 

cultural trend that relegates spiritual and/

or religious discussions to the private 

sphere by reintroducing this discussion 

to a public forum, which restores 

important public space for the free 

exercise of religion. For some time now, 

Commanders have been reluctant to 

discuss religion or spirituality in a public 

setting. Establishing the spiritual domain 

as a part of Army doctrine reopens the 

public space for discussions of religiosity 

and spirituality. In addition, the doctrine 

provides language that can de-conflict 

otherwise emotionally-laden and 

contentious topics around spirituality. 

SPIRITUAL READINESS INITIATIVE

The Army’s Spiritual Readiness Initiative 

equips Commanders and Chaplains 

with the empirical and conceptual 

understanding to aggressively promote 

spiritual readiness. The Spiritual 

Readiness Initiative was conceived in 

collaboration between the Chaplain 

Corps and research scientists at 

some of the United States’ most 

prestigious universities. This research 

aims to empirically assess the value 

of spirituality in the human domain. 

The fruit of this effort, a powerful and 

undisputable correlation between 

a strong spiritual core and human 

flourishing, equips Chaplains and 

Commanders with the evidence to 

unabashedly advocate for the spiritual 

domain. The Spiritual Readiness 

Initiative begins with installation-level 

training. The Chief of Chaplains and his 

team present the science of spirituality 

findings to command teams, ministry 

teams, Behavioral Health professionals, 

Army Community Services providers, 

and Military Family Life and Army 

Substance Abuse Program counselors. 

In addition, ministry teams are trained 

on three skills: spiritual assessment, 

spiritual readiness development, 

and spiritual readiness deep dive. 

Command and ministry teams utilize this 

information to review, readjust, and/or 

introduce new programs according to the 

needs of the local command/community.

The Spiritual Readiness Initiative 

is not another canned and scripted 

mandatory training effort. Rather, it is 
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The Free Exercise of Religion and Spirituality in the Army

a door opening event, as it were, that 

invites previously excluded parties into 

an ongoing conversation that aims 

to improve units and chapel-based 

programs. It also awakens Soldiers 

and Families to a subject that has 

been seriously neglected. The Spiritual 

Readiness Initiative helps Chaplains to 

collaborate with the full range of Army 

care providers, as well as Commanders 

and Soldiers, to tailor ministry support 

efforts, eliminating ineffective programs 

and establishing new efforts to enhance 

the spiritual core of individuals and 

communities. Strengthening the 

Soldier’s spiritual core begins in inprocessing and continues with ongoing 

evaluation and encouragement 

throughout a Soldier’s career.

Conclusion 

Every cultural sea faces shifting currents 

of change. The United States and its 

Army are no exceptions. This article 

captures some of those particular 

changes around the Chaplain Corps 

and Army culture. It also demonstrates 

the enduring commitment of the 

United States to protecting the rights 

of its Soldiers to the free exercise 

of religion, and emphasizes the 

special role played by Commanders, 

Chaplains, and Religious Affairs 

Specialists in guaranteeing that right. 

By outlining common obstacles and 

new opportunities to effective religious 

support rediscovers of an old reality: the 

enduring benefit of a strong spiritual life.

PRO DEO ET PATRIA!
27

NOTES

1 Diversity, Inclusion, and Equal Opportunity in 

the Armed Services: Background and Issues for 

Congress, (Washington, DC: US Library of Congress, 

Congressional Research Service, June 5, 2019), 46.

2 U.S. Department of the Army, Army Chaplain Corps 

Activities, Army Regulation 165-1 (Washington, DC: 

U.S. Department of the Army, June 23, 2015), 1.

3 Ibid.

4 Ibid. 5.

5 Ibid. 6.

6 U.S. Department of the Army, Religious Support and 

Internal Advisement, Army Techniques Publication 

1-05.04 (Washington, DC: U.S. Department of the 

Army, March 23, 2017), 1-6.

7 U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, Religious Affairs in Joint 

Operations, Joint Guide 1-05 (Washington, DC: U.S. 

Joint Chiefs of Staff, February 1, 2018), II-1.

8 Ibid. II-2.

9 U.S. Department of the Army, Army Command Policy,

Army Regulation 600-20 (Washington, DC: U.S. 

Department of the Army, July 24, 2020), 211.

10 Ibid. 185.

11 U.S. Department of the Army, Comprehensive 

Soldier and Family Fitness, Army Regulation 350-53 

(Washington, DC: U.S. Department of the Army, June 

19, 2014), 8.

12 U.S. Department of the Army, Holistic Health and 

Fitness, Field Manual 7-22 (Washington, DC: U.S. 

Department of the Army, October 8, 2020), 1-10.

13 Ibid. Glossary-8.

14 Lawrence S. Cunningham, “Catholic Spirituality,” 

Commonweal, (February 24, 2006), https://www.

commonwealmagazine.org/catholic-spirituality.

15 Miller, Lisa. “The Spiritual Child: The New Science on 

Parenting for Health and Lifelong Thriving.” New York, 

NY: St. Martin’s Press, 2015, 25.

16 Merriam-Webster Dictionary. “Trust.” Merriam-Webster 

Dictionary. Last modified 2022. https://www.merriam_

webster.com/dictionary/trust.

17 Jack Zenger and Joseph Folkman, “Emotional 

Intelligence, The Three Elements of Trust,” Harvard 

Business Review (February 5, 2019), https://hbr.

org/2019/02/the-3-elements-of-trust. 

18 Matthews, Michael D. “3 C’s of Trust.” Psychology 

Today (blog). May 3, 2016 https://www.

psychologytoday.com/us/blog/head-strong/201605/

the-3-c-s-trust.

19 U.S. Department of the Army, Army Chaplain Corps 

Activities, Army Regulation 165-1 (Washington, DC: 

U.S. Department of the Army, June 23, 2015), 7.

20 Ibid.

21 U.S. Department of the Army, Holistic Health and 

Fitness, Field Manual 7-22 (Washington, DC: U.S. 

Department of the Army, October 8, 2020), 1-2.

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The Free Exercise of Religion and Spirituality in the Army