Military Chaplains Modernization Act of 2026

Bill S. 5255, the Military Chaplains Modernization Act of 2026, would amend title 10 of the U.S. Code to restructure and codify the roles, duties, and protections of chaplains in the Army and Navy. It creates new deputy chief of chaplains positions (for the Army Reserve, Army National Guard, Navy Reserve, and Marine Corps chaplaincy), sets their rank at brigadier general or rear admiral (lower half), and designates the Chiefs of Chaplains as principal advisors to their service secretaries and top military leaders. It also spells out chaplains' duties—religious rites, counseling, crisis response, and advising commanders on religious accommodation—and adds explicit protections shielding chaplains from being required to perform acts contrary to their sincerely held religious beliefs or those of their endorsing religious organization, with adverse personnel actions against a chaplain for such refusals barred and violations subject to prosecution under the Uniform Code of Military Justice.

The bill primarily affects Army and Navy chaplains, the commanding officers who supervise or interact with them, and service members and families who rely on chaplain services; it does not appear to address the Air Force or other branches in the provided text.

The bill was introduced in the Senate on August 5, 2026, by Senator James Lankford with four cosponsors, and has been referred to the Senate Committee on Armed Services. It would need committee action, floor votes in both chambers, and the President's signature before becoming law.

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