The "Military Chaplains Modernization Act of 2026" aims to update and clarify the role of chaplains within the United States Armed Forces, emphasizing their historical and constitutional importance. The bill establishes detailed provisions for chaplains across the Army, Navy, and Air Force, including the Space Force. It begins by outlining congressional findings that underscore the essential role of religion and religious liberty in military service, citing historical precedents and Supreme Court rulings affirming the government's duty to provide for the religious exercise of service members. A central provision of the bill designates the Chief of Chaplains and Deputy Chiefs as principal advisors to service secretaries and chiefs of staff/operations on all chaplaincy matters and religious support. This formalizes their advisory capacity on issues such as religious practices, spiritual readiness, and the influence of religion on military operations. The bill also details the specific duties of chaplains, which include advising commanders on religious accommodation, managing religious affairs, and meeting the spiritual needs of service members and their families in various environments. Chaplains are explicitly tasked with performing religious rites, counseling, providing crisis prevention and response, and offering pastoral care. A significant aspect of the legislation focuses on protecting chaplains' religious freedom . It mandates that chaplains' duties must be performed in a manner consistent with their sincerely held religious beliefs and the tenets of their religious-endorsing organizations. Furthermore, the bill grants chaplains the right to conduct public worship, counsel, teach, and pray according to their beliefs, free from censorship, undue restriction, or fear of retribution. It strictly prohibits any member of the Armed Forces from requiring a chaplain to perform tasks contrary to their religious beliefs or retaliating against them for refusing such requirements. This includes protection against adverse personnel actions like denial of promotion or issuance of reprimands. To ensure compliance, the bill stipulates that any violation of these protections will be subject to prosecution under the Uniform Code of Military Justice . The President is directed to prescribe regulations and revise the Manual for Courts-Martial to reflect these new offenses. Commanding officers are also required to provide necessary facilities and transportation to assist chaplains in their duties. The Act includes comprehensive definitions for terms such as "administrative endorser," "adverse personnel action," "censorship," and "confidential, sacramental, and privileged communications," clarifying the scope and intent of these provisions. This legislation seeks to modernize the framework for military chaplains, ensuring their ability to provide religious support while safeguarding their own religious liberties within the military structure.