Navy chaplains to remove rank insignia from all working and utility uniforms
By Riley Ceder
Jun 10, 2026, 12:45 PM
U.S. Navy chaplains will discard their rank insignia on working and utility uniforms starting Tuesday, the service announced in an administrative message.
The guidance follows an edict issued by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on March 24 in a video uploaded to X, in which he stated that a chaplain is a chaplain first and an officer second.
Previously, uniforms worn by chaplains presented rank insignia in addition to a symbol denoting their religion, but Hegseth ordered the removal of rank insignia to ensure that chaplains would “be seen among the highest ranks because of their divine calling.”
https://www.militarytimes.com/news/your-navy/2026/06/10/navy-chaplains-to-remove-rank-insignia-from-all-working-and-utility-uniforms/
