WASHINGTON – The following is a statement from American Humanist Association Executive Director Fish Stark in response to news that the Department of Defense has dramatically reduced its number of recognized religious faiths and belief systems from 211 to 31, eliminating specific designation categories for humanists, atheists and Unitarian Universalists, among others.

“This is a blatant erasure of atheist and humanist Americans serving in the military. Secretary Hegseth can say whatever he wants about the motivations for this decision, but its implications are undeniable: it will be harder for individual service members to access religious accommodations, and for chaplains, it will be more difficult to properly serve those in their care.

“Data collection isn’t a morally neutral undertaking – this accounting will inform future resource allocation at the Pentagon and make it harder for service members to defend their rights, and it is for these reasons that we’re opposed to this senseless decision.

“We call on the Pentagon to immediately restore the more inclusive list of 211 faith and belief codes, and for Congress to hold the Department of Defense accountable for its attempt to curtail the religious freedom of our service members.”