scope:

Purpose. To provide policy and guidance for the accommodation of religious practices within the Department of the Navy (DON) under reference (a). The DON recognizes that religion can be as integral to a person's identity as one's race or sex. The DON promotes a culture of diversity, tolerance, and excellence by making every effort to accommodate religious practices absent a compelling operational reason to the contrary. During a service member's career in the DON, he or she will be exposed to a wide variety of religious expressions from both chaplains and other service members. It is DON policy to foster mutual respect for diverse religious expressions, which includes accommodating as many of them as possible at the command level. Chaplains are the Navy's only trained professional religious accommodators. Assisted by religious program specialists, they provide for and facilitate the religious needs of authorized personnel. The Chaplain Corps' capabilities are critical to the commander's ability to successfully meet the requirement for the free exercise of religion set forth in the U.S. Constitution.

Applicability. The policies and procedures in this instruction apply solely to the accommodation of religious practices within the DON and no other context.