Religious Accommodation in the U.S. Military

DOD Directive 1300.17 (Accommodation of Religious Practices within the Military Services) instructs military leaders to give rational, reasonable, and generous consideration to requests for accommodation of religious practices. Note the wording of paragraph 3.1:

"It is DoD policy that requests for accommodation of religious practices should be approved by commanders..." [emphasis added] To this exhortation is added, however, a critical caveat: requests for accommodation should be approved, but only "when accommodation will not have an adverse impact on military readiness, unit cohesion, standards, or discipline."

Each of the military Services has published its own regulation or instruction, echoing the words of DOD Directive 1300.17 while adding wording that reflects the mission, needs, and particulars of that Service.

Note that the Army's regulation regarding religious accommodation, AR 600-20 (Army Command Policy) (Section 5-6), adopts much of the wording of DOD Directive 1300.17, paragraph 3.1, but changes the verb:

"The Army will approve requests for accommodation of religious practices unless accommodation will have an adverse impact on unit readiness, individual readiness, unit cohesion, morale, discipline, safety, and/or health." [emphasis added]

The Navy instruction, SECNAVINST 1730.8B (Accommodation of Religious Practices), changes the wording significantly, while leaving the meaning unchanged:

"The Department of the Navy promotes a culture of diversity, tolerance, and excellence by making every effort to accommodate religious practices absent a compelling operational reason to the contrary..."

The U.S. Coast Guard's COMDTINST 1730.4B (Religious Ministries within the Coast Guard) echoes the Navy's language:

"...it is Coast Guard policy to accommodate the doctrinal or traditional observances of the religious faith practiced by individual members when they will not have an adverse impact on military readiness, individual or unit cohesion, health, safety or discipline."