Wage Peace:

Faith-based Diplomacy as a Critical Task for the Military Chaplaincy

CH (MAJ) Mark R. Johnston

United States Army Sergeants Major Academy
Ft Bliss, Texas
 2

Wage Peace:
Faith-based Diplomacy as a Critical Task for the Military Chaplaincy

F
“ or most of the twentieth century, the most critical concerns of national security have been
balance of power politics and the global arms race. The attacks of September 11, 2001 and the
motives behind them, however, demand a radical break with this tradition. If the United States is
to prevail in its long-term contest with extremist Islam, it will need to re-examine old
assumptions, expand the scope of its thinking to include religion and other "irrational" factors,
and be willing to depart from past practice. A purely military response in reaction to such attacks
will simply not suffice. What will be required is a long-term strategy of cultural engagement,
backed by a deeper understanding of how others view the world and what is important to them. In
non-Western cultures, religion is a primary motivation for political actions. Historically dismissed
by Western policymakers as a divisive influence, religion in fact has significant potential for
overcoming the obstacles that lead to paralysis and stalemate. The incorporation of religion as
part of the solution to such problems is as simple as it is profound. It is long overdue.” 1

Introduction

Faith-based diplomacy is an old idea gaining new momentum for conflict

resolution across multi-religious boundaries. The hope of finding global peace paradigms

that really work must include the religious dimension, especially when so many present

day conflicts are defined by those religious fault-lines which divide peoples from

cooperative efforts to end violence and war.

A question is posed regarding the role of religious diplomacy in the US military

as both a tool for conflict resolution and as a legitimate voice at the table of institutional

democracy. Can the military effectively exercise the non-combatant chaplain as a

religious diplomat across cultural and religious boundaries in an effort to obtain peace? If

so, how would this additional dimension impact the traditional role and understanding of

the chaplain? Would there be a shift from the religious conscience of the chaplaincy to

1
The International Center for Religion and Diplomacy addresses the tension between statecraft
and religious diplomacy. Cf. http://www.icrd.org for more information and the source of my opening quote.
 3

one that was more attuned to the societal requirements demanded by an active

participation in diplomacy? Is there a moral imperative prohibiting the use of the Church

by the State in gaining international peace that promotes nationalist policies?

These are a few of the questions that concern this paper. My study will seek to

address a few of these issues with the intention of arguing for this additional dimension to

the work of the military chaplaincy. This paper advances the argument for a new policy

within the Department of Defense requiring new training and additional functionality

within the branch of military chaplains.

Knowing Who We Are

Defining the Role of the Military Chaplain2

On the eve of the infamous My Lai massacre,3 where as many as 500 civilian non-

combatants were ruthlessly murdered by American troops, a chaplain was asked to give a

few encouraging words to soldiers who had just been briefed by their commanding

2
The word “chaplain” derives from a story of a fourth century Roman soldier (Martin of Tours,
ca. 316-397) who encountered a cold beggar and determined to comfort the impoverished man by taking
his cloak and cutting it into two pieces with a sword, giving one half of the cloak to the shivering man.
Later that evening he dreamed that the beggar he had provided half his cloak to was Jesus Christ. This
prompted him to quit the Army and become a Christian. After his death and canonization as a saint in the
Roman Catholic Church, French kings adopted him as their patron saint. These kings would bring forth a
supposed portion of the cloak (capella) into battle, carrying it as a banner to signify the presence of God.
This sacred relic was entrusted to the care of priests (capellanus). The word chapellain was adopted into
English as chaplain. The place where the capella was kept and where worship occurred was called the
chapel. Cf Israel Drazin & Cecil B. Currey. For God and Country: The History of the Constitutional
Challenge to the Army Chaplaincy. Washington, D.C., Department of the Army, 1995.

3
Cf. Doug Linder, An Introduction to the My Lai Courts-Martial (http://www.law.umkc.edu);
The massacre by United States soldiers of “as many as 500 unarmed civilians-- old men, women, children-
in My Lai on the morning of March 16, 1968” under the authority of First Lieutenant William Calley, a 24
year old platoon leader of Charlie Company, one of the three companies in Task Force Barker, an ad hoc
unit headed by Lt. Col. Frank Barker, Jr. illustrates the barbarism of armed conflict. That the entire
company was so affected, Seymour Hersh wrote that by March of 1968 “many in the company had given in
to an easy pattern of violence. Soldiers systematically beat unarmed civilians. Some civilians were
murdered. Whole villages were burned. Wells were poisoned. Rapes were common.” Calley was
“sentenced to life of hard labor. In the end, he only served a few days in Fort Leavenworth, before being
transferred back to Fort Benning, where he was placed under house arrest. His sentence was repeatedly
reduced. Finally, he was pardoned by President Nixon. He was paroled in November, 1974.”
 4

officer “to kill everything in the village” in the course of their patrol. This was not an

unusual request, nor was the response atypical. The chaplain complied. On another

occasion, after hearing from the commanding officer who gave similar instructions to

soldiers, “a regimental chaplain in Vietnam publicly prayed for his soldiers and

commanders to have ‘wisdom to find the bastards and the strength to pile it on.’”4

It has often been debated whether or not a good chaplain’s involvement and

presence could have diffused and perhaps prevented the infamous My Lai tragedy in

Vietnam. The question, “Where was the chaplain?” signals an institutional awareness of

the prophetic power of religious authority in the midst of chaos and the possibility of

governing the evil that too often is excused in the heat and passion of violence.

This question becomes amplified with the recent Abu Ghraib prison abuse of Iraqi

prisoners.5 Where was the chaplain when human beings were subjected to degradation

and abuse that runs contrary to American policy and the treatment of prisoners of war?

While no satisfactory answer has been made available, one can presume that military

chaplains were barred from any access to the time and place of abuse.

4
Richard A. Falk, ed. Crimes of War. New York, Random House, 1971 and Richard Holmes, Acts
of War: The Behavior of Men in Battle. New York, Free Press, 1985, 287-290.
5
We are now discovering that other violations of international law have occurred with the so
called “ghost detainees” of Abu Ghraib. These detainees “were held without an internment number, and
their names were kept off the books. Guards who worked at the prison have said that ghost detainees were
regularly locked in isolation cells on Tier 1A and that they were kept from international human rights
organizations.” Cf. Josh White. Army, CIA Agreed on 'Ghost' Prisoners. Washington Post, Friday, March
11, 2005; Page A16 “Defense Department officials have said that there were as many as 100 ghost
detainees held in prisons in Iraq…A Navy report issued yesterday said there was evidence of about 30
ghost detainees… The Army has resolved not to allow ghosting at its detention facilities.”
 5

While chaplains today are superior in their ability to discern between what

constitutes ethical violations of the rules of combat, they are often marginalized by

commands that regard any religious conscience as an impediment to accomplishing

mission. As a consequence, chaplains are either aggressively involved in their command

structure or they are somewhat inconsequential in the overall scheme of things.6 Such

ambivalence directly impacts an understanding of who the chaplain is and what

contributions chaplains can make to the efforts of peace and conflict resolution.7

The role of the military chaplain8 remains an ongoing matter of definition.9 Over

the decades since the Vietnam War, chaplains have professionalized the prophetic and
6
Certain faith groups have opted not to send their ordained clergy into the military because of this
problem (i.e. the Salvation Army). Conversely, faith groups like the Roman Catholics are suffering from a
shortage of priests and desperately want more representation in the military. Groups like the Jehovah’s
Witnesses are not registered with the Armed Forces Chaplain’s Board and will not support ministry to
those who are serving and who consider themselves to be moderate Jehovah Witnesses. Martin Luther
argued that Christians could serve the military; Cf. Luther, Martin. “Whether Soldiers Too Can Be
Saved?” Luther’s Works. Volume 46. Robert D. Schultz, ed., Philadelphia: Fortress Press, 1967.
7
There have been notable instances when chaplains were not welcomed into the military. Such an
instance occurred during the Civil War when the Southern Army Force structure excluded chaplains from
military involvement. This was an intentional decision on the part of Jefferson Davis, the Confederate
President. The Southern populace discovered and challenged this low view of chaplains and subsequently
chaplains were accessioned to active duty.
8
Pertinent directives for the work of the chaplaincy include; DA PAM 165-17, Chaplain Personnel
Management. Washington, D.C.; Department of the Army, 11 May 1998; DA PAM 165-3, Chaplain
Training Strategy. Washington, D.C.; Department of the Army, September, 1998; DA PAM 60-75,
Accommodating Religious Practices. Washington, D.C.; Department of the Army, September 1993; DOD
Directive 1300.17, Accommodation of Religious Practices Within the Military. Washington, D.C.;
Department of the Army, September, 1987; FM 16-1, Religious Support. Washington, D.C.: Department of
the Army, May, 1995; FMFM 3-61, Ministry in Combat. Washington, D.C.: Department of the Navy,
1988; Joint Pub 1-05, Religious Ministry Support for Joint Operations. Washington, D.C.: Department of
Defense, August, 1996; Joint Vision 2010. Washington, D.C.: Department of the Army, 1999; etc.
9
Because the chaplaincy is pluralistic in nature there is an ongoing demand for dialogue that
defines what a chaplain is and does. This dialogue is often focused on the multi-cultural interpretations and
implications of texts; “The interpretation of texts is a problem not only because we interpreters are
historically distant from them but also because we are culturally distant from one another and so often
engage that history in conflicting ways, socially and culturally.” Cf. Mark Kline Taylor, Remembering
Esperanza. Orbis Books, New York, 1990, pg. 54. The chaplaincy is the only branch within the military
culture that wears differing emblems reflecting their particular faith and service. Catholics and Protestants
wear a cross, Jews wear tablets and Muslim chaplains wear a crescent on their uniforms to signify their
particular faith group. There is discussion about what incoming Buddhist, Wiccan and other faith groups
might wear to designate “who” they are.
 6

pastoral ministries that work within the military. Training is an ongoing constant in this

profession, thereby pushing the quality of excellence forward while retaining core

values10 and identity as non-combatant people of God. Today’s chaplain is better

equipped to serve the military community than ever before.11 Today’s chaplains are

change agents that offer profound alternatives to a culture steeped in violence as a way of

life. Through spiritual and social involvement, military chaplains can impact their

communities with possibilities for change that benefit any who serve in uniform.12
10
There are seven Army Core Values; Loyalty, Duty, Respect, Selfless Service, Honor, Integrity
and Personal Courage, providing the acronym, LDRSHIP for Leadership. These Core Values were formally
introduced in the mid-nineties after it was recognized that many soldiers were entering the Army without a
defined system of values. The challenge has been to integrate (and indoctrinate) soldiers with these values
in such a way that service members internalize and live by these values. The Army Chaplaincy has
identified a value system internal to the Chaplain branch supporting the Army’s Core Values. The six Army
Chaplain Values are: 1) Spirituality-Seek to know God and yourself at the deepest level; 2) Accountability-
Hold yourself and others to the moral and spiritual high ground in every area of life; 3) Compassion-Love
in word and deed; 4) Religious Leadership-Model spiritual truths wisely and courageously; 5) Excellence-
Do your best for God’s glory; 6) Diversity-Respect the differences of others. The acronym SACRED
communicates the desire of the Chaplaincy leadership to “shape the heart and soul of the Army
Chaplaincy” and impact Army culture with spiritual vitality.
11
It takes approximately 10 years of preparation to qualify as a potential candidate for the military
chaplaincy. This includes seven years of schooling from an institution that is accredited and certified by the
Armed Forces Chaplain’s Board, at least two years of pastoral experience and one year of administrative
detailing. Additionally, each chaplain must be ordained and endorsed by the faith group represented.
Finally, age and physical qualifications are factored into the boards that review applicants hoping to serve
as missionaries to the military community. Conversely, the endorsers for each faith group can pull their
chaplains from military service at any time deemed appropriate for such action. Chaplains are subject to
strict ethical and moral guidelines imposed by virtue of the faith group that sends them into military
service. It is no exaggeration to say that the military chaplain is on average the highest trained professional
within a given command while simultaneously being the most regulated person on active duty.
12
The military chaplain represents a specific faith group dedicated to fulfilling the spiritual needs
of those who serve within the military and who profess identity with the tenets and doctrines of that faith
group. There are over two-hundred religious denominations and faith groups registered with the Armed
Forces Chaplain’s Board and the Pentagon. About one hundred of these faith groups presently have
chaplains serving in the military and each chaplain who is commissioned to military ministry is also
accountable to their sending faith group’s rules and regulations for such ministry. Serving those who
profess the same faith is the primary reason for clergy becoming military chaplains. However, chaplains
also serve the greater military community with various programs that are not faith specific in nature, such
as teaching suicide prevention, providing for unit functions (family retreats, single soldier retreats etc). But
a Muslim chaplain will not and can not serve a Protestant congregation in worship, just as a Protestant
chaplain can not minister to a Catholic congregation in worship. The only exception to this occurs in
ecumenical services (such as Thanksgiving Services), but even then, certain faith groups (such as the
Missouri Synod Lutherans) can not share a podium or pulpit with other faith groups on penalty of their
denomination removing them from duty. Certain faith groups have opted not to send their ordained clergy
into the military (i.e. the Salvation Army). Conversely, faith groups like the Roman Catholics are suffering
from a shortage of priests and desperately want more representation in the military. Groups like the
 7

However, the missing chaplain of Abu Ghraib points to an ongoing exclusion that

is still in need of challenge. The “naked public square” of military decision making

reminds us that religious influence is not always welcome.13 The reasoning behind this

exclusion derives from multiple sources to include prejudice against anything religious.14

The missionary work of the military chaplain imposes an uncomfortable presence in the

midst of combatant ideology.15

As a non-combatant, the chaplain reflects a saner, more hopeful moment in the

pause of war, but simultaneously challenges the baser instincts of those who prefer

violence. Through incarnational ministry, the military chaplain must engage all persons

with a compassionate doctrine that speaks of peace. As such, the chaplain remains the

most important qualifier in an atmosphere fraught with instability and potential death. To

Jehovah’s Witnesses are not registered with the Armed Forces Chaplain’s Board and will not support
ministry to those who are serving and who consider themselves to be moderate Jehovah Witnesses.
13
The “war room” is where military planning occurs and it needs the presence of the trained non-
combatant to remind combatants of the tenets of just war and just peacemaking. It can be argued that the
doctrines of just war theory are no longer relevant due to the terrorist violence defining conflict today.
“Terrorism intentionally violates the sine qua non rule of just war that one can attack only military targets,
and never intentionally attack noncombatants.” Cf. Glen Stassen, Just Peacemaking: Ten Practices for
Abolishing War. Cleveland, The Pilgrim Press, 1998, pg. 1. Can we retain the “grammar of just war” while
acknowledging the shift in “just war syntax?”

14
This surfaces in more recent writings such as Henry Kissinger’s massive book, (Diplomacy
New York, Simon and Schuster, 1994, 912 pages). Cf. Larry Witham, "Faith Opens New Avenues for
International Diplomacy," Insight on the News 6 Feb. 1995; “Henry Kissinger's foreign-policy tome hasn't
a single reference to religion in the index. Moreover, the West failed to foresee the Islamic revolution in
Iran and the sectarian breakup of Lebanon…We almost feel embarrassed to talk about [religion] in the
professional context.”
15
Cf. Terry Lindvall, “The Faint Image of the Chaplain in Twentieth Century Combat Films” in
Military Chaplains’ Review Spring, 1987, pp. 1-26. Dr. Lindvall illustrates the demeaning influences of
film and culture regarding the place of the sacred in secular society, especially the military. Over the past
fifty years, ministers have declined as authoritative figures worth emulating to villains, madmen and
simpletons. The hit television series M*A*S*H epitomizes this imagery with the character of Father
Mulcahey, a nice but incompetent idealist caught in his own world of piety and platitudes. Media’s
hostility towards people of faith is documented by the evangelical Focus on the Family. Cf. Hollywood Vs.
Religion, narrated by Jewish commentator, Michael Medved and directed by Michael Pack. The recent
film, “Saving Private Ryan” counters some of this imagery with the appearance of a chaplain ministering to
wounded soldiers during an assault on the beach head in the opening scenes.
 8

surrender that incredibly important place of power to the currents of destruction is to

abdicate the calling of God for the sake of those human beings who prefer not to be

bothered by the prophetic pricks of the sacred.

To some extent, this is the present situation regarding the use of the chaplain in

faith-based diplomacy. Additionally, there are questions regarding any such expansion of

the chaplain’s role to include diplomacy from within the chaplain community itself. Can

the military effectively exercise the non-combatant chaplain as a religious diplomat across

cultural and religious boundaries in an effort to obtain peace? My answer is “Yes!” But

this answer is qualified. Through appropriate training and involvement, select chaplains

can contribute to peace paradigms that cross religious fault lines.

Defining Faith-based Diplomacy

Faith-based diplomacy is a “type of diplomacy that blends religious insights and

influence with the practice of international politics.”16 We’ve seen the effectiveness of

faith-based diplomacy as demonstrated by the late Pope John Paul II of the Roman

Catholic Church.17 This 264th Pontiff of the Church visited over 117 nations with the

message of peace and conflict resolution.18 His legacy as a world leader is remembered as
16
Douglas Johnston writes, “Since the founding of the republic, American diplomacy has
essentially placed religion beyond the bounds of critical analysis. In recent years however, the global
resurgence of religious militancy and influence has begun to force a reappraisal. As a practical matter, U.S.
foreign policy began to acknowledge this with the establishment in 1998 of the State department’s Office
of International Religious Freedom and the later assignment of military chaplains to that department’s
Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor.” Cf. Douglas Johnston, Faith-Based Diplomacy:
Trumping Realpolitik. Oxford, Oxford University Press, 2003, pg.3. He continues, “Although such
measures show a growing awareness of religion’s political importance, religious imperatives have yet to be
incorporated as a major consideration in U.S. foreign policy.”

17
Mikhail Gorbachev attributed the fall of communism in Eastern Europe to this Pope’s
diplomatic visit to Poland while it was under Soviet rule, and Cuba’s Fidel Castro recently called for three
days of national mourning on news of the Pope’s death.

18
Pope John Paul II became known as the "Pilgrim Pope" for having traveled greater distances
than all his predecessors combined. Pope John Paul II customarily kissed the ground of every nation he
visited upon entry. His successor, Pope Benedict XVI, has not been as successful in diplomacy as
demonstrated in the recent rioting of Muslims when he quoted the writings of a medieval ruler which
 9

one that crossed religious and cultural barriers with a message of justice and peace.19 He

“embraced” others as no Pope before him ever had, and consequently, at his death and

funeral, over 200 heads of state from around the globe gathered to mourn the man who

brought the world together.20 Faith-based diplomacy was embodied in the work of

Mahatma Gandhi, Martin Luther King, Jr., and Anwar Sadat of Egypt. Each of these

persons reflects a deep spirituality at the root of their attempts to negotiate peace.

The spiritual underpinnings of faith-based diplomacy may offer a substantial

alternative to those peace paradigms that are void of anything religious.21 While we must

acknowledge the sordid histories of those religious leaders who used faith as a means to

their own political ends22, thereby corrupting truth and forfeiting any hope for peace, we
condemned Muhammad’s “jihad” as “evil and inhuman.”
19
“Consider Pope John Paul II’s unyielding plea to the international diplomatic corps; ‘The
principles of the sovereignty of states and of non-interference in their internal affairs-which retain all their
value-cannot be a screen behind which torture and murder can be carried out.’ Religious perspectives also
afford an indispensable axis of critical interpretation that secular vantage points cannot provide.” Cf. John
D. Carlson and Erik C. Owens, The Sacred and the Sovereign. Washington, D.C., Georgetown University
Press, 2003, pp. 9-10.
20
It was at the funeral of Pope John Paul that the Syrian President and President of Israel ‘shook
hands’, Cf. Jeffrey Heller, The Boston Globe, “Israel, Mideast Foes Shake Hands At Pope’s Funeral.” April
8, 2005; “Israeli President Moshe Katsav said he shook hands with the leaders of Syria and Iran at Pope
John Paul's funeral on Friday, when the Pontiff in death brought together Middle East foes as no man alive
ever had…Israeli and Syrian negotiators last held peace talks in 2000 that foundered over the future of the
Golan Heights occupied by Israel since the 1967 Middle East war.” Some wag commented that this was the
Pope’s first postmortem miracle!

21
As religion continues to re-emerge as a dominant reason for prospects of peace or violence in
our globalizing world, the Western notions of the Enlightenment and Eurocentric thinking will be
challenged. We can no longer afford to exclude the ancient claims of any spirituality due to the mechanistic
and hostile attitudes towards religion predominant in Enlightenment epistemologies. Cf. James Turner
Johnson who writes, “…The role of religious or other normative belief systems has emerged as particularly
important for defining major cultures and for understanding the role of cultural differences in relation to
conflict. Differences of religion appear among the causative factors of some of the most enduring and
destructive contemporary conflicts, while religions and the value systems and institutions they generate are
the focus of a variety of recent approaches to understanding the importance of cultural differences in
generating conflict and seeking to ameliorate or end it.” James Turner Johnson, Morality and
Contemporary Warfare New Haven, Yale University Press, 1999. pg.167.

22
Cf. Garrett Mattingly, Renaissance Diplomacy (Baltimore, MD: Penguin Books, 1964 pg. 18;
“From the point of view of diplomacy the chief difference was that the West, in 1400, still thought of itself
as one society. Christendom was torn by the gravest internal conflicts, by religious schism, doctrinal
dispute, and the endemic warfare of class against class, people against people, faction against faction, king
 10

need to awaken to the potential of rediscovering religious doctrines for peace latent in

every religion23 and find ways of deploying those doctrines for the benefit of society. This

becomes a primary challenge, especially for those who identify themselves as belonging

to faith traditions that center peace as a virtue.24

Faith-based diplomacy seeks peace with an understanding that “justice” is central

to the well-being of any community engaged in peace processes.25 Addressing the plight

of the oppressed, the marginalized and the poor is essential to finding any meaningful

peace within our global neighborhood. Taking action to facilitate the relief of oppression

and injustice requires a joint effort by those political powers defined as democratic.26 But
against king.”

23
Dorothy Yoder Nyce, "Faithful and Pluralistic: Engagement among People of Living Faiths,"
Cross Currents Summer 2003; “For, any study of God or thought about that which is central to religious
traditions needs to bring together concepts from varied living faiths. Christians cannot presume that our
distinct piece reflects the whole. Nor need we fear diversity, be hostile toward difference, or denounce
those with God-concepts that name Allah or value a goddess form. To forever expect others to see things
the way we do-- to accept exclusive, western truth claims, for example-shows our refusal to respect their
licit worldview.”
24
“The primary challenge in our present day is to equip Christians with a clearer vision of their
social and political obligations in a religiously and culturally diverse setting where public expressions of
religious sensibilities often appear inappropriate.” Cf. Thomas. W. Ogletree, The World Calling: The
Church’s Witness in Politics and Society. Louisville, Westminster John Knox Press, 2004. pg. 2. Ogletree
asks, “What forms of public law and public policy can actually bring about justice and human well-being in
post industrial and post-modern societies? When religious people enter the public arena, must they bracket
their distinctive faith identities in order to uncover common ground among like-minded people across a
diversity of religious and secular views? If common ground can be found, moreover, will it furnish
normative conceptions of justice and human well-being capable of guiding public actions? Might this
common ground be provided by American civil religion, as some have argued?
25
Ibid. pg. 128; Ogletree asks, “What forms of public law and public policy can actually bring
about justice and human well-being in post industrial and post-modern societies? When religious people
enter the public arena, must they bracket their distinctive faith identities in order to uncover common
ground among like-minded people across a diversity of religious and secular views? If common ground can
be found, moreover, will it furnish normative conceptions of justice and human well-being capable of
guiding public actions? Might this common ground be provided by American civil religion, as some have
argued?” I would add that military chaplains are equipped practitioners of “civil religion” who remain
sensitive to their own unique religious beliefs.
26
However, the idea of the democratic nation-state is also changing-perhaps for the worse-Cf. the
introduction to Cornel West, Democracy Matters: Winning the Fight Against Imperialism. East Rutherford,
NJ, Penguin Books, 2004; “The three dominant dogmas of free-market fundamentalism, aggressive
militarism, and escalating authoritarianism are snuffing out the democratic impulses that are so vital for the
deepening and spread of democracy in the world. In short, we are experiencing the sad American imperial
 11

no easy answers await us as we engage the multifaceted dimensions of these problems,

including the terrorist violence of marginalized27 people.28 What is certain is that religious

conviction can participate in the process of answering injustice,29 oppression and poverty.

The community of faith becomes a springboard for such action and ongoing theological

discourse.30 The church, synagogue and mosque offer resources that can assist the

devouring of American democracy. This historic devouring in our time constitutes an unprecedented
gangsterization of America—an unbridled grasp at power, wealth, and status. And when the most powerful
forces in a society—and an empire—promote a suffocation of democratic energies, the very future of
genuine democracy is jeopardized.” West writes, “No democracy can flourish against the corruptions of
plutocratic, imperial forces—or withstand the temptations of militarism in the face of terrorist hate—
without a citizenry girded by these three moral pillars of Socratic questioning, prophetic witness, and
tragicomic hope.” I would add that faith-based diplomacy can be aided by these three pillars to the
democratic tradition.

27
For a startling analysis of religious violence which is justified by religious conviction and
resistance to oppression, see Mark Juergensmeyer, Terror in the Mind of God: The Global Rise of
Religious Violence. Berkeley, CA., University of California Press; 2001 pp. 220-226. “In Japan, for
example, a new branch of "socially prophetic" Buddhists released toxic sarin gas in the Tokyo subway
system in 1995, shattering their own nonviolent ethic and harming thousands because they had adopted
millenarian prophecies about an imminent end to the world.” This group felt oppressed by their society and
acted on their convictions that they had a duty to God to fight the government. Cf. the review in Publishers
Weekly- www.publishersweekly.com

28
Religious fundamentalism that retains identity through doctrines of exclusion is increasingly
challenged by global factors. Accommodation with the modern economic, technological and political
structures of a modern world system can be recognized even in those acts of terrorism that predominate
violence today. Western perceptions of Islamic terrorists as ignorant camel drivers don’t square with the
sophisticated use of technology to wage a world-wide jihad. This was illustrated by the training of Islamic
pilots to fly jets laden with fuel and use them as torpedoes on September 11, 2001, as well as ongoing cell-
phone delivery of road-side bombs in Iraq which continue to disable people and machinery. The probability
that biological and chemical weapons are presently being studied suggests a familiarity with science that
obscures the demeaning caricatures.

29
Religious conviction answers injustice through acts of conscience. Such acts of conscience
might include armed resistance. Douglas Johnston was asked about the relationship of faith-based
diplomacy and the cycle of revenge; “The notion of religious reconciliation juxtaposed to diplomacy is
something that's capturing a lot of attention…no diplomatic or military solution could break the cycle of
revenge.” Cf. Cf. Larry Witham, “Ex-Navy Officer Plans to Enlist Religion in World of Diplomacy,” The
Washington Times 23 Apr. 1999.
30
The motto, “Cooperation without Compromise” is found in each branch of the military, but the
Navy has elevated it as their primary ethic for interfaith ministry. Cf. “Consensus without Unanimity” in
Glen Staussen, ed. Just Peacemaking: Ten Practices For Abolishing War. Cleveland, Pilgrim Press, 1998,
pg. 35.
 12

policies of the state as they combine to pursue meaningful peace paradigms that stretch

across cultural boundaries.31

Putting the Two Together: The Good, the Bad and the Holy

To involve those qualified persons who both represent a faith community and who

can communicate across religious boundaries for diplomatic reasons extends the

traditional boundaries of such communities. The military chaplain is uniquely positioned

to do this work by virtue of the training and exposure chaplains receive within the

pluralistic setting of the military community.32 Additionally, these chaplains deploy with

combatants into places where “peace keeping” efforts afford opportunities for cross

cultural experience.

Besides being the pastoral and prophetic voice for their assigned military unit,

chaplains often engage local communities with projects of care and compassion. These

projects might include the rebuilding of an orphanage, or directing a food drive for

hungry people, or installing a play ground for school children in a particular community.

With the volunteer assistance of soldiers, chaplains have already contributed to a wide

31
Ibid. pp.137-138; “If we are to be interpreters of Christian ethics in our time, we will have to
give fresh attention to the church as a community capable of sustaining a distinctive moral vision of the
world…to rediscover the well-spring of Christian thought and to equip ourselves to draw upon the
Christian legacy in addressing the moral problems of our age…Christian faith must find a way to combine
its own distinctive ethos with an ethic of civilization suited to the dominant social forces at work in the
world.”

32
The ecumenical spirit of the chaplaincy doesn’t erase the individual convictions of one’s
particular faith; Cf. Alan Race, "Religion: The Missing Element in Dialogue," Journal of Ecumenical
Studies 39.1-2, 2002; “For many, the dialogue that commits us to mutual transformation in light of learning
from the other also involves a further assumption about parity between faith-traditions, such that different
belief-systems, theologies, and philosophies are considered to be culturally conditioned and symbolic forms
of severally expressed commitments to an ultimate reality that is beyond the scope of all language. As we
come to share in someone else's truths, we learn more of the complexity and mystery at the heart of
ultimate reality itself. It is not that each religion perceives one part of the whole, which, when put together
like pieces of a jigsaw puzzle, makes the complete picture. Rather, each tradition is said to perceive the
whole of reality but only in part.”
 13

range of community services in foreign places as a gesture of good will and religious

compassion.

Because chaplains are privileged to already be present in such cross cultural

contexts, it seems that utilizing qualified and trained chaplains to provide inter religious

dialogue as a part of a larger diplomatic peace paradigm would be consistent with who

these military chaplains are and what they already do.33

This additional dimension to the traditional role and understanding of the chaplain

impacts the way chaplains would be trained. Presently, it takes approximately 10 years of

preparation to qualify as a potential candidate for the military chaplaincy. This includes

seven years of schooling from institutions that are accredited and certified by the Armed

Forces Chaplain’s Board, at least two years of pastoral experience and one year of

administrative in-processing. Additionally, each chaplain must be ordained and endorsed

by the faith group they represent. Finally, age and physical qualifications are factored

into the boards that review applicants hoping to serve as missionaries to the military

community.34

33
Cf. Douglas M. Johnston. “The Case for a Religion Attaché.” Foreign Service Journal
(February 2002): 33-38 “The U.S. needs to elevate the consideration of religious factors in foreign policy.
Appointing religion attachés to gather information in key countries would be a key step toward this end.”
See also "We Neglect Religion at Our Peril" in the Naval Institute Proceedings (Jan. 2002): 50-52. “Given
the religious component of so many of today’s hostilities, a good starting point would be to expand the role
of U.S. Navy and Marine Corps chaplains, since they serve the commands that typically are at the cutting
edge of U.S. involvement overseas. Their multi-faith experience, interpersonal skills, temperament, and
education uniquely equip them for the complex challenges of prevention.” Appendix A includes a partial
listing of those critical tasks assigned to military chaplains which may embrace interfaith dialogue and
diplomacy.

34
Conversely, the endorsers for each faith group can pull their chaplains from military service at
any time deemed appropriate for such action. Chaplains are subject to strict ethical and moral guidelines
imposed by virtue of the faith group that sends them into military service. It is no exaggeration to say that
the military chaplain is on average the highest trained professional within a given command while
simultaneously being the most regulated person on active duty.
 14

Once chaplains are accessioned to active duty, they begin a cycle of educational

training that lasts throughout their entire career. Basic and advanced courses in

chaplaincy are taught alongside schooling for staff officer work. Field training takes

place in subjects ranging from medical triage to combat ministry to survival skills.

Clinical counseling35 instruction in the psychodynamics of suicide prevention, family care

and critical stress debriefing techniques for combat veterans is standard for every

chaplain. Within a chaplain’s career path opportunities occur to specialize in clinical

pastoral education (CPE) for hospital ministry, counseling for community ministry,

administration and accounting, comparative studies in world religions or ethics.

Those chaplains that specialize in comparative world religions and ethics are

assigned to teaching posts within the military school system. Assignments usually last for

three years as these chaplains will engage officers and enlisted personnel in current

discussions relevant to military duty. The chaplains selected for these training

assignments are sent to premier graduate institutions to obtain the necessary

qualifications and skills needed for teaching.

It would not be difficult to enlarge the schooling of chaplains for faith-based

diplomacy. Selected chaplains would need to demonstrate aptitude for inter-religious

dialogue. They would need a good understanding of diplomatic procedure and

government policies on conflict resolution. Language studies related to an area of faith-

based concern would couple with research in a particular religion’s cultural and

35
Most chaplains study at the Menninger Clinic, a national specialty psychiatric and behavioral
hospital for counseling and intervention skills. Recent studies have centered on the psychological costs of
killing in combat and the related post traumatic stress impacting soldiers-cf. Grossman, David LTC. On
Killing: The Psychological cost of Learning to Kill in War and Society. New York: Little , Brown and
Company, 1995.
 15

contextual milieu. Peace paradigms drawn from a particular religious perspective would

be examined in concert with those historic and current situations where religious fault

lines demand intervention.

An example of the foregoing proposal might include persons who are sent to

study Islam, Arabic and the customs, laws and behaviors of Palestinian peoples. Such a

chaplain might also be introduced to Yiddish and Jewish issues related to conflict

resolution.36 Another example might be the training of a chaplain to speak and read

Chinese, become familiar with Confucian philosophy and other related beliefs, such as

Buddhism. Japanese and Taiwanese cultural interpretations and practice would be

compared alongside the political ideologies of China. Such people would be trained over

the course of one to two years. Upon completion of their training they would be assigned

to commands located in areas pertinent to the training received.37

Because of the nature of the military chaplaincy which is already comprised of

highly trained faith practitioners, the additional training in the art and science of

diplomacy would work well in the same manner that presently occurs in the schooling of

chaplains for ethics or world religions. It makes sense to both the chaplaincy and to the

greater military institution to utilize an asset already present for work that remains to be

done.

In this regard, the participation of select chaplains in the diplomatic corps expands

the legitimacy of the entire chaplaincy. Through imaginative and creative work, the

36
Hayes, Patrick J. “J. Elliot Ross and the National Conference of Christians and Jews: A Catholic
Contribution to Tolerance in America.” Journal of Ecumenical Studies (2000).

37
These assignments would be made at levels in the command that would afford the greatest
opportunity for use in both actual faith-based diplomacy and the training of other chaplains in lower unit
commands. Division level assignments would seem optimum for chaplains serving as faith-based
diplomats.
 16

military chaplain is no longer consigned to just the parochial ministries of the battalion

parish, but is present at the table for dialogue that demands religious expertise. In this

regard, the chaplaincy takes a seat in the company of those ministered to and with and is

no longer marginalized due to institutional ignorance.

However, not every chaplain will agree that faith-based diplomacy is needed as an

additional role to the military chaplaincy. Some quickly point out that whenever a

chaplain becomes involved for the purposes of the state, a loss of the prophetic occurs.

The state determines the value of religious faith whenever faith is used as a means to the

state’s end-purpose. Examples can be given to illustrate the demeaning processes that

take place when over a period of time religion becomes just another tool of the empire.

The Constantinianism of faith really marginalizes the prophetic, and once that happens

it’s questionable whether or not it can ever be recovered.38 The prophetic voice must not

be co-opted for the sake of those policies that lend themselves against the religious

conscience for the sake of some imagined good. Peace can never be accomplished within

the fragments of a broken religion. Only through a well defined and determined

expression of faith does the prophetic voice get heard. The dilution of the prophetic for

the diplomatic can never be honoring to God or the faith communities we serve.

38
The conflict between civil religion and personal faith is addressed by Hauerwas; “Many still
seek to use our religious heritage in support of the development and sustenance of democratic government
and society. Thus it is said that democracy requires a civil religion-that is, a sense of the transcendence that
can act as a critical principle against the pretensions of state power as well as a resource to support the
development of more nearly just institutions. Such a ‘civil religion,’ however, cannot be made up of any
particularistic religious beliefs, since that would offend the necessity of religious tolerance. As a result all
our more particularistic beliefs must be socially defined as ‘private’ and thus admitting no social role.” He
continues, “There is no more powerful indication of religion’s superfluity in our culture than Christianity’s
acceptance of itself as one ‘religion’ among others.” Cf. Stanley Hauerwas, The Peaceable Kingdom. Notre
dame, University of Notre Dame, 1983, pp.12-13. However, finding a safe place of civility in inter-
religious dialogue (which may include the interests of the state) is necessary in our war torn world if we are
to find any resolution to religiously inspired violence.
 17

Such sentiments would consign faith-based diplomacy to the trash bin of a “good

but impractical idea.” However, faith-based diplomacy is already at work within the

military, both within the chaplaincy as it navigates issues effecting conflicting beliefs and

practices of representative religions, and within the Department of Defense which is

using a small number of chaplains for Embassy consultations. While it’s true that the

potential for marginalization exists whenever religious people seek to promote a national

good, there exists a greater cause underscoring the need of the global community.

One of the principles of faith-based diplomacy should be the integrity of the

diplomat’s own faith in the work of peace. While not overturning the national agenda, the

faith-based diplomat should seek to work within the narrow structures of peace and

conflict resolution as a service of faith. By focusing on peace and conflict resolution

between religious communities, work can be done to accommodate both the goal of the

state and the good of the people so affected by violence. In this respect, God is honored

as people are benefited by the labors of peacemakers.

The faith-based diplomat is not utilized for negotiations that marginalize the

practices and convictions of religion. As a proposed policy, the chaplain is only dedicated

to peacemaking and conflict resolution whenever called to a diplomatic role. This guards

the institution from any shift of religious conscience that could somehow become more

attuned to the societal requirements demanded by diplomacy than of those sacred

principles of faith. The potential for the bad in policy making that envelops religion as a

means to a nation’s end is considerable. The good can come from policy that recognizes

the distinctive contributions the religious life and doctrine make in resolving conflict

through the sacred traditions that foster peacemaking. The holy occurs when that peace
 18

becomes a reality, when the violence and bloodshed of war has quieted and repentance,

restitution and a restoration of tranquil harmony reclaims a society. “Blessed are the

peacemakers for they shall be called the children of God!”

Some Elements to Faith-based Diplomacy

So what does faith-based diplomacy look like? This paper has given a brief

description of who might participate as a faith-based diplomat (the military chaplain) and

how training might be expanded to secure those necessary skills complimenting already

existing talents found in the chaplaincy. But what about the program for such diplomacy?

We’ve briefly noted that policy supporting faith-based diplomacy should limit the scope

of that work to inter-religious dialogue, conflict resolution and peace paradigms drawn

from those religious traditions affected by such diplomacy.

A Model for Conflict Resolution

Inter-religious dialogue occurs within the context of trained, sensitive

perspectives that capably engage others in their faith traditions. This is a schooled and

studied part of the discipline for faith-based diplomacy. Peace paradigms retain religious

identities rooted in those traditions that seek to manage violence. A religious-cultural

hermeneutic that is employed for the management of violence should be drawn from the

nobler teachings of those sacred texts and traditions which define any religious practice

and norm. The success of faith-based diplomacy might rest most heavily on the

techniques of conflict resolution.

In this respect, conflict resolution might draw from principles outlined by David

Steele who advocates “cooperative conflict resolution” (CCR) as “an essential practice of
 19

just peacemaking.”39 This approach “emphasizes the active co-working of parties in

conflict; they attempt to develop creative solutions that each can affirm and support. They

take the process of conflict resolution as a shared enterprise, an active partnership in

problem solving, in order to devise mutually beneficial outcomes.”

Instead of fighting enemies they participate as “quarreling partners” in efforts to

avoid deadly violence while opting for “non-lethal controversy.” To accomplish this,

self-critical honesty and transparence is required of the parties involved. This “requires

risk-taking” and a “spiritual awareness” that draws from “religious traditions that teach

followers to respect and value all persons, even enemies, and they teach healing and

forgiveness as crucial to the quest for fullness of life.”

Steele lists ten criteria for an effective CCR program to work. I’ve paraphrased

them below;

1) The needs and perspectives of adversaries must be understood. Even when in

disagreement, the cultural perspectives of others must be examined. “Personal and group

histories, stories and emotions” are used to “discover basic needs hidden behind surface

positions and strategic interests.”

2) Participants in CCR “make space for the voices of all involved” while

withholding judgments about what is said. This includes hearing from both victims and

perpetrators.

3) A judgmental distinction is made between the actions of others and the cultural

context other people operate from. Dehumanizing and demonizing the “other” due to

cultural differences is not permitted.

39
Cf. Glen Stassen, Just Peacemaking: Ten Practices for Abolishing War. Cleveland, Pilgrim
Press, 1998, pp. 63-86, “Use Cooperative Conflict Resolution”- one of four peacemaking strategies
examined by the book.
 20

4) Acknowledging personal involvement that contributed to the escalation of

violence is made. The “confession of sin” and subsequent repentance and forgiveness

lead to opportunities for the process of reconciliation to begin between offending parties.

5) Negotiated goals are clearly stated.

6) Problem solving is done in partnership with others. Power is shared with and

not exercised over participants seeking solutions to mutual problems. “Cooperation rather

than domination” characterizes CCR representing a transformative approach to the “full

vision of shalom.”

7) Force only becomes necessary to create space, restrain and separate so that

alternatives to violence and injustice can be “found through reflection, negotiation,

healing, and a partnership approach to problem solving.” This is an interventionist

approach to halting violence.

8) Persons involved with peacemaking and conflict resolution “take risks in order

to find common ground.” They become “vulnerable in order to create safe space for

negotiation to occur between opposing parties. Such persons need to “count the cost”

entailed with faith-based diplomacy.

9) Just peacemaking intervention utilizes short term goals for the long term peace.

Seeking long-term strategies is a constant requirement for any who recognize the frailty

of human governments. In this respect, religious planning contributes strong possibilities

for policy that engages the sacred before resorting only to the secular in decision making.

Faith has a way of outlasting current administrations.

 21

10) Peace and justice are “equal core components” to any policy that successfully

negotiates conflict resolution. Both must be studied and applied in the work of faith-

based diplomacy.

These ten principles serve as a pragmatic guideline for conflict resolution. They

incorporate inter-faith dialogue and contribute to the structuring of peace paradigms.

Each of these ten points can be adjusted to the situational uniqueness of religious conflict.

They present “guide posts” along the path to peace and reconciliation. Faith-based

diplomacy might use these principles as a compass in negotiating peace.

A Model for Reconciliation

We can illustrate from point 4 above an example of how these points might be

enlarged for diplomacy. John Paul Lederach has suggested that reconciliation has five

qualities of “practice” which support peace.40 First, reconciliation is “relationship-centric”

and focuses on persons rather than events. “I am pointing us toward the centrality of the

invisible...that we not use the lens and techniques of conflict resolution oriented towards

the visible-issues, agreements, words and representations of feelings and interests-as the

goal and objective of our processes but rather as the window into our process.” In this

respect, the building of trust between persons becomes paramount. The faith-based

diplomat establishes transparency and trust within a space defined by relationship with

the parties involved.

Second, “reconciliation as accompaniment” is practiced by virtue of the shared

common humanity, presence and a sense of “along-sidedness” that the faith-based

diplomat models. A third component is that of “humility” which is bound to truth and

40
Cf. Raymond G. Helmick, S.J. and Rodney L Petersen, eds. Forgiveness and Reconciliation.
Philadelphia, Templeton Foundation Press, 2002, pp. 193-205, “Five Qualities of Practice in Support of
Reconciliation Processes.”
 22

creativity in addressing problems. Mediation without humility destroys opportunities for

learning. Humility suggests that persons have a story that must be heard, and that from

their stories, opportunities for understanding takes place. Understanding opens the

otherwise closed doors of the “other” and this “key” invites participation in dialogue

which can bring peace.

Fourth, reconciliation is the “restoring of the fabric of community” which is the

cradle of life. The faith-based diplomat enters the divided communities with a hope for

reconciliation. The biblical foundations of community do not differ from the basic

understanding of other religions. Bringing a sense of community into the fractured

atmosphere of war offers a glimpse towards what can be, through faith, hope, forgiveness

and love. People long for community and they are often open to restoring community

once they are reminded that community is the cradle of life, prosperity and peace.

Finally, reconciliation may take on the metaphor of “wandering in a desert.”

Relationships take time to build, and like the wanderings of early Israel, we might need to

“reconsider our timeframes” in relationship to the “healing processes” of reconciliation.

In other words, there is no “quick fix” to violence that has brutalized people, both

combatants and non-combatants alike. The processes of faith-based diplomacy cannot

enter broken communities with westernized solutions demanding immediate responses

for peace. Peacemaking takes a long time and is proportionate to the violence any

community has endured. The “scars of war” remind us that injustices occurred, that

innocent persons were victimized, and that governments traded on the good will of the

unsuspecting and co-opted institutions for power.

 23

Our efforts as faith-based diplomats must not be frustrated by the agendas of

American ingenuity for speed, access and privilege. Rather, returning to the imagery of

the Exodus and the reconciliation of God with Israel through forty years of wandering

provides some structure to rebuilding the generational wastelands which were devastated

by war.

Other models exist for the study and practice of doing faith-based diplomacy. All

of them merit our attention in a time when religion plays such an important role in the

world, a role for both peace and for violence.

Conclusion

This paper addresses the work of faith-based diplomacy and the military

chaplaincy. Expanding the role of the military chaplain to train in the art and science of

diplomacy is argued with respect to the narrow definition that “faith-based diplomacy”

might carry. This definition safeguards the potential abuse of the chaplain by the state

while offering a ready-made asset for the pursuit of global peace in religious fault-line

situations.

Acknowledging the place and work of the military chaplain as primarily

contained within the structures of military unit cohesion and mission, the faith-based

diplomat is projected beyond the parochial roles of battalion ministry to engage the

pluralistic environments many battalions find themselves serving within. Selective

training and appropriate usage of designated chaplains provides an increasing measure of

importance to an institution that often marginalizes religion. Through practical “hands

on” involvement the trained chaplain offers options to combat that might not be

otherwise recognized. In this respect, the chaplain leverages the command’s capabilities
 24

for successfully performing peace keeping missions while engaging in the greater work

of God.

It is with this argument that policy should be structured to support the training of

faith-based diplomats from within the chaplain corps. In so doing we can wage peace for

our world today and for our dreams of tomorrow!

Wage Peace
A poem by Mary Oliver

Wage peace with your breath. Breathe in firemen and rubble, breathe out whole buildings
and flocks of red wing blackbirds. Breathe in terrorists and breathe out sleeping children
and freshly mown fields. Breathe in confusion and breathe out maple trees. Breathe in the
fallen and breathe out lifelong friendships intact. Wage peace with your listening: hearing
sirens, pray loud. Remember your tools: flower seeds, clothes pins, clean rivers. Make
soup. Play music, learn the word for thank you in three languages. Learn to knit, and
make a hat. Think of chaos as dancing raspberries, imagine grief as the outbreath of
beauty or the gesture of fish. Swim for the other side. Wage peace. Never has the world
seemed so fresh and precious. Have a cup of tea and rejoice. Act as if armistice has
already arrived. Don't wait another minute.

Bibliography

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D.C.:Georgetown University Press, 2003.

Drazin, Israel & Cecil B. Currey. For God and Country: The History of the Constitutional
 25

Challenge to the Army Chaplaincy. Washington, D.C., Department of the Army,

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Falk, Richard A. ed. Crimes of War. New York, Random House, 1971.

Grossman, David LTC. On Killing: The Psychological cost of Learning to Kill in War
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Hauerwas, Stanley. The Peaceable Kingdom. Notre dame, University of Notre Dame,
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Helmick, Raymond G., S.J. and Rodney L Petersen, eds. Forgiveness and Reconciliation.
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Juergensmeyer, Mark, Terror in the Mind of God: The Global Rise of Religious
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Stassen, Glen. Just Peacemaking: Ten Practices for Abolishing War. Cleveland, Pilgrim
Press, 1998.

Taylor, Mark Kline Remembering Esperanza. Orbis Books, New York, 1990.
 26

West, Cornel. Democracy Matters: Winning the Fight Against Imperialism. East
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Journals, Newspapers, Manuscripts and Videos

Baker, Raymond William. “Screening Islam: Terrorism, American Jihad and the New
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Hayes, Patrick J. “J. Elliot Ross and the National Conference of Christians and Jews: A
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2000.

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Funeral.” The Boston Globe, 8 April 2005.

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February 2002: 33-38
-"We Neglect Religion at Our Peril" in the Naval Institute Proceedings January
2002: 50-52

Lindvall, Terry. “The Faint Image of the Chaplain in Twentieth Century Combat Films”
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Nyce, Dorothy Yoder. "Faithful and Pluralistic: Engagement among People of Living
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Powers, Gerard F. “Religion, Conflict and Prospects for Reconciliation in Bosnia Croatia
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 27

The Washington Times 23 April1999:22

-“Faith Opens New Avenues for International Diplomacy.” Insight on the News
February 1995.

Military Documents

DA PAM 165-17, Chaplain Personnel Management. Washington, D.C.: Department of

the Army, 11 May 1998.

DA PAM 165-3, Chaplain Training Strategy. Washington, D.C.: Department of the

Army, September, 1998.

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Helpful Web Sites

http://www.academyofdiplomacy.org The American Academy of Diplomacy

http://www.gmu.edu George Mason University Peace and conflict

Studies
 28

http://www.icrd.org The International Center for Religion and

Diplomacy.

http://www.law.umkc.edu cf. Doug Linder, An Introduction to the My

Lai Courts-Martial

http://www.policylibrary.com Humanitarian Intervention Policy Library

Appendix A
(A partial listing of Critical Tasks taught to Military Chaplains which may support the
training of faith-based diplomacy)

805D-211-6123: Plan Religious Support for the Contemporary Operating Environment

 29

(COE)

805D-100-7008: Determine How Belief Systems Operate Across the Full Spectrum of
Conflict

805D-211-7120: Develop a Religious Area Analysis

805D-211-7124: Coordinate Religious Support during Homeland Security Operations

805D-211-7601: Analyze the Impact of Religion on Current Operations

805D-211-7614: Apply Religious Support Doctrine during Full Spectrum of Operations

805D-207-8114: Manage Local Religion Information and Impact on Mission

805D-211-8212: Plan Information Operations (IO) Engagement as Principle Advisor on

Religion