Pete Hegseth's Department of Defense (DOD) is facing backlash after a spokesperson announced a significant reduction in the number of religious identities service members can register, from over 200 to just 31. The exclusion of Mormonism from this list triggered outrage from prominent Republican figures, including Senator Mike Lee, who described the move as 'repugnant' and implored the Pentagon to reconsider. In response to the uproar, the DOD attempted to clarify its position through its Rapid Response account on X, but initial communications contained errors, including a false claim about a 'leaked' list. The DOD later confirmed that the updated list of Religious Affiliation Codes would include Mormons and emphasized that the goal was to simplify an overly complex coding system. Following the revisions, Lee expressed gratitude to Hegseth for correcting the error, highlighting the importance of respecting all sincerely-held faiths within the military ranks. Analysts noted that the hasty changes suggested a lack of careful planning in the DOD's approach to the issue.