Military Leadership and Education: Religion's Role in the U.S. Military Mission

The military appears to reflect the religious diversity of U.S. society closely in minority faith-group representation, those who identify themselves as possessing no religious preference and those who claim affiliation with groups traditionally considered outside the religious mainstream (Pagan, Eastern, Humanistic, etc). These same religious demographics also reveal a military that tends to be less religious and consequently less religiously aware than the civilian population at large. Taken as a whole, these findings suggest a potentially strong impact on training, doctrine, recruitment, and retention.