CHAPLAIN CORPS OFFICER (4100)
The Staff Corps community of Navy chaplains — clergy serving Sailors, Marines, and Coast Guardsmen of every faith.
OVERVIEW
The 4100 Chaplain Corps designator identifies Staff Corps officers in the U.S. Navy who are ordained clergy serving as Navy chaplains. Navy chaplains provide religious ministry to their own faith group, facilitate worship and religious accommodation for Sailors and Marines of all faiths (and of no faith), provide confidential pastoral counsel, advise commanding officers on ethical and moral issues, and serve as a moral compass within the unit. The Chaplain Corps serves the Navy, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard — three uniformed services without their own chaplain corps.
Chaplains are commissioned from more than 100 different faith group endorsing agencies — Roman Catholic, Protestant denominations, Jewish, Muslim, Buddhist, Hindu, Latter-day Saints, Orthodox Christian, and others. Every Navy chaplain holds an ecclesiastical endorsement from their faith group recognizing them as clergy.
RESPONSIBILITIES
- Provide religious ministry to Sailors, Marines, and Coast Guardsmen of the chaplain's own faith group
- Facilitate religious accommodation and worship for Sailors and Marines of all faiths
- Provide confidential pastoral counsel — protected by absolute privilege under federal law
- Advise commanding officers on the ethical, moral, and religious well-being of the unit
HISTORY
The Navy Chaplain Corps was established on November 28, 1775 — just one month after the Continental Navy itself — making it one of the oldest professions in the U.S. Navy. The first Navy chaplain, Reverend Benjamin Balch, served aboard the frigate Boston during the Revolutionary War.
Over the next 250 years the Chaplain Corps expanded from an originally Protestant-only community to include Catholic priests (1888), Jewish rabbis (1917), Muslim imams (1996), Buddhist priests (2004), Hindu pandits (2011), and clergy from more than 100 different faith groups today.
COMMISSIONING SOURCES
- Direct Accession (most)
- Chaplain Candidate Program (CCP — for seminary students)
TRAINING PIPELINE
- 1. Officer Development School (ODS)~5 weeksNaval Station Newport, RIDirect-commission officer indoctrination.
- 2. Basic Chaplain Leadership Course~9 weeksNaval Chaplaincy School, Fort Jackson, SCJoint chaplain school covering military religious ministry, joint religious-program operations, and pastoral counseling in the military environment.
- 3. Senior Chaplain Course~4 weeksNaval Chaplaincy School, Fort Jackson, SCMid-grade course preparing Lieutenant Commanders for major-staff and command positions.
TYPICAL CAREER PATH
- O-1/O-2ODS + Chaplain School + first tourOfficer Development School, Basic Chaplain Course at Naval Chaplaincy School, then first tour with a Marine battalion or aboard a small ship.
- O-3Mid-grade Chaplain TourAircraft carrier, large amphib, recruit training command, or Coast Guard sector chaplain.
- O-4Department HeadSenior chaplain at a Marine Expeditionary Force, naval base, or major staff.
- O-5Major Command ChaplainSenior chaplain at a numbered fleet, MEF, or major regional command.
- O-6Senior Religious LeadershipSenior chaplain leadership at OPNAV, Marine Corps HQ, or as Chief of Navy Chaplains.
RELATED DESIGNATORS
RELATED BASES
- Master of Divinity (MDiv) or equivalent 72-hour graduate-level theological degree
- Ecclesiastical endorsement from a Department of Defense-recognized faith group
- 24+ months of active ministry experience
- Successful completion of Officer Development School (ODS) and Naval Chaplaincy School
- Battalion Chaplain with a Marine Corps infantry battalion
- Ship's Chaplain aboard an aircraft carrier or amphibious assault ship
- Installation Chaplain at a Navy or Marine Corps base or recruit-training command
- Coast Guard sector or training-center chaplain