An investigation into the scandal-plagued Air Force chaplaincy branch has called for an overhaul of hiring processes to prevent further recruitment of staff whose theological views conflict with Defence values, it can be revealed.
The Executive Summary of the Air Force Chaplaincy Review – an inquiry sparked by allegations of abuse and bullying among chaplains – details “evidence of tension within Chaplaincy related to theology and ideology”.
The report also says that conflict based on “differing theology among Chaplains is an issue not unique to Air Force Chaplaincy”.
The Royal Commission into Defence and Veteran Suicide has recently made sections of the Air Force Chaplaincy Review report publicly available on its website. Early last year, the Department of Defence rejected a Freedom of Information application by the Rationalist Society of Australia (RSA) to obtain the Executive Summary.
The Executive Summary also recommends that Air Force “purposefully explore” the introduction of non-religious workers into the chaplaincy branch – something that the RSA has been advocating for over a number of years.
The internal inquiry into the chaplaincy branch, headed by Air Commodore Henrik Ehlers, recommends a number of changes to the recruitment process to address concerns about “conflict/dissonance” between the faith of chaplains and Defence values.
The report says the selection processes needs to be improved to “increase the likelihood that Air Force recruits Chaplains that are particularly suited to working in Chaplaincy in a multi-faith team and according to Defence Values and behaviors.”
It also calls for: Defence Force psychologists to develop an “occupation-specific ‘suitability assessment’ for chaplains; and the revision of standard questions asked of candidates to “provide optimised consideration of factors” including diversity and theological tensions with the role. The report says:
“The unique role of military Chaplaincy as compared with traditional faith ministry outside of Defence was identified as a cause of tension for some Air Force Chaplains, particularly regarding how individuals reconcile strong theological beliefs with Defence Values, as well as how they work alongside other Faith Groups in a multi-faith Chaplain team.”
The report also finds: that some chaplains prefer to follow scripture instead of formal processes for reporting unacceptable behaviour; and that there is a tension between theology and the supplying faith groups with Defence Values and Equity and Diversity policies, in particular relating to gender and LGBTIQ inclusion.
“Some Chaplains perceived other Chaplains to be intolerant towards LGBTI people, women and those Chaplains who express differing theological views,” says the report.
The investigators found “perhaps reassuringly” no evidence that chaplains’ conflicting theological and ideological views impact other service personnel or their families.
The findings add weight to the growing concerns over Defence’s reliance on religious chaplains – and, increasingly, Pentecostal and evangelical chaplains – to provide frontline wellbeing support to military personnel. As the RSA reported in December, new Defence figures show that 61 per cent of Defence personnel now identify as not religious and 6 per cent identify as gay, lesbian or bisexual.
In 2023, the RSA discovered discussion about the then secret findings of the Air Force Chaplaincy Review in the minutes of a controversial taxpayer-funded committee of religious clerics that advises Defence on religious matters and has oversight of chaplaincy recruitment.
Appearing at the Royal Commission in March last year, Chief of the Air Force, Air Marshal Robert Chipman, said the chaplaincy review had found an “unhealthy mix of theological beliefs” in the chaplaincy branch. He also revealed that Air Force was developing a proposal to introduce non-religious wellbeing officers into its chaplaincy capability.
The RSA has been calling on Army and Air Force to follow the Navy’s lead and introduce secular frontline wellbeing support roles to help meet the needs of their increasingly non-religious workforces.
In submissions to the Royal Commission, the RSA provided evidence for how chaplains could not provide non-judgemental care and how their worldviews were at odds with modern society and out of step with the culture that Defence was trying to develop.
As the RSA reported in December, a review into Navy’s secular roles found “strong demand” among personnel and considered the introduction of the roles to have delivered a “complementary non-religious alternative” in helping to meet the mental health and wellbeing needs of personnel.
In June last year, the RSA told Defence Personnel minister Matt Keogh that Australians were losing confidence in Defence’s religious-based chaplaincy capability following a string of controversies. Among the other controversies: widows grieving the loss of their partners in an Army helicopter crash accused a chaplain of inappropriate behaviour; chaplains have publicly expressed views on social issues such as same-sex marriage and on non-religious personnel that most Australians would find incompatible with providing non-judgmental care; and taxpayer-funded clerics with oversight of chaplaincy have been accused of “forcing out” a former top Navy chaplain for advocating for secular reform.
The Rationalist Society of Australia is actively lobbying and advocating for secular reform of the Defence Force. See the latest updates here.
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Si Gladman is Executive Director of the Rationalist Society of Australia. He also hosts ‘The Secular Agenda’ podcast.
Image: .Dwayne. (Flickr CC)