TC 1-05
Military Religious Support Mission
ministry. RS also includes special staff officer activities, such as,
professional support to the command, management and
administration, humanitarian support, training, and religious support
planning and operations.
Section II Mission Origin
The first amendment of the United States Constitution guarantees
every American freedom of religion. The RS mission of the UMT is
rooted in the free exercise clause of the first amendment and ensures
this Constitutional right for soldiers.
"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment
of religion or prohibiting the free exercise thereof..."
First Amendment, U.S. Constitution
The establishment clause of the first amendment forbids any
governmental authority from mandating a particular religion as the
"official" religion or way of prayer. This means that many religions
exist side-by-side, and that each is equally valid legally in our
society. In the pluralistic religious setting of the military, UMTs work
to ensure RS for all soldiers in the command. Subject to resource
constraints and military necessity, all religions are entitled to RS
(except for practices that violate the Uniform Code of Military Justice
[UCMJ], Command Policy, or Army Values). Chaplains cooperate in
ministry with each other without compromising their own faith,
tradition, or ecclesiastical endorsement requirements. Together,
chaplains perform and provide RS to ensure the most comprehensive
RS possible for soldiers.
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10 May 2005
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