--- title: "The military will start paying for troops’ theological degrees so they can become chaplains" description: "The Pentagon’s Chaplain In-Service Procurement Program directs the branches to fund theology degrees so troops can become chaplains." date: "2026-11-05" modified: "2026-11-05" authors: - name: "Patty Nieberg" job_title: "Senior Reporter" link: "https://taskandpurpose.com/authors/patty-nieberg.md" url: "https://taskandpurpose.com/news/pentagon-chaplain-procurement-program/" categories: - "Army" - "Military Branches" - "News" --- # The military will start paying for troops’ theological degrees so they can become chaplains ![U.S. Army Chaplain Jon Knoedler, the senior Chaplain for the 8th Theater Sustainment Command, gives a class on ethical decision making at Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea, Sept. 25, 2026. (U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Samarion Hicks)]() *Army Chaplain Jon Knoedler, the senior Chaplain for the 8th Theater Sustainment Command, gives a class on ethical decision making at Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea, Sept. 25, 2026. Army photo by Sgt. Samarion Hicks.* The military branches will pay for up to 75 service members to pursue theological degrees as part of the Pentagon’s new effort to grow the chaplain corps. The Chaplain In-Service Procurement Program was announced in a [video]() late last week by Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, who credited Congress with signing the program into law. “You're on active duty, and you've got your Bachelor's. You get to stay in uniform and earn your graduate theological degree. You keep your pay, your allowances, your benefits. Your service branch covers the tuition, and then we get you back as a chaplain,” Hegseth said in a video. Last year, Congress granted the military services the authority to send service members to school on official military orders to earn their theological degree. Under the [fiscal year 2026 defense bill]() provision, the services can pay for a select number of service members to pursue their chaplaincy education as well as can grant orders for an additional set of troops to go to school “without funding any educational expenses.” “Not more than 25 officers and enlisted members from each military department may commence such training in any single fiscal year,” according to the law passed by Congress. The Army, Air Force and Navy each have their own Chaplain Corps. The Air Force supplies chaplains to the Space Force, and the Navy provides them to the Marine Corps and the Coast Guard. An Air Force official said they will have 25 total spots to fund chaplaincy education for both airmen and guardians. Similarly, a Navy official said they have a total of 25 applicants — which applies to both sailors and Marines. The Coast Guard directed Task & Purpose to the Navy, which confirmed that the Coast Guard is not eligible for the program. The program comes amid a number of [religious policy reforms]() across the Department of Defense, including the new Office of Religious Affairs. Other changes have focused on chaplains, including orders to [remove ranks from their uniforms,]() and even [tossing out the Army’s spiritual fitness guide](), which Hegseth described as giving chaplains too much of a “therapist” role. Advisors within the services and at the White House have advocated for growing the size of the chaplain corps and broadening its scope. An advisor to Navy Secretary Hung Cao [told Task & Purpose]() that he’s developing a plan to recruit more chaplains. And over the summer, a White House-appointed panel recommended that the military services [allow chaplains to advise on policy and command decisions](). The new chaplain training pipeline is open to officers O-3 and below, who have served on active duty for two to eight years, and enlisted service members E-5 and above, who have served between four and 10 years on active duty. Enlisted troops must be eligible to commission. According to [Navy instructions in the program](), sailors and Marines who are selected to participate will have to apply to their “desired educational institution,” get accepted, and submit the graduate program course for final approval. Chaplains trained under this program would be required to serve on active duty for two years for every year of chaplaincy training, up to six years in total, or opt for three years in the Reserve for every year of training, or a total of nine years, according to the standards set in law by Congress. The Pentagon is also mandated to report progress on the program to Congress, beginning in March 2027. The report will include the number of service members participating across the branches, their religious faith, and the total cost of education, pay and benefits. ## Author Patty is a senior reporter for Task & Purpose. She's reported on the military for six years, embedding with the National Guard during a hurricane and covering Guantanamo Bay legal proceedings for an alleged al Qaeda commander. Her previous bylines can be found at the *Associated Press*, *Bloomberg Government*, *Washington Post*, *The New York Times*, and *ABC*. You can reach Patty by email at [Patty.Nieberg@taskandpurpose.com](). ### Author social links [Twitter]() [LinkedIn]() ## More - [Air Force commissions first female Muslim chaplain in US military history]() - [Air Force Reserve chaplain gets Trump nod to lead the VA]() - [Army Chaplain Corps is preparing for mass casualties in future wars]() - [Stackable degree programs are perfect for military veterans]() - [Military bases below negative-20 degrees will soon get a bonus pay]() - [The new secretary of Veterans Affairs is an Air Force chaplain and Iraq War veteran]() - [A field competition for Army chaplains tests spiritual mettle]() - [Save your military pay now, so you’re not paying for it later]()