Religious Liberty in the Military: Army Cuts, Catholic Chaplains, and Free Exercise Rights

Welcome to the Napa Legal Podcast, where we discuss religious liberty from the perspective of faith-based nonprofits. In this special guest episode, Frank DeVito sits down with Chris Motz, the Senior Counsel at First Liberty and former Marine infantry officer and current part time judge advocate in the Air Force reserve component.

They discuss religious liberty in the US military, especially in the light of recent contract cancellations for support staff of Catholic chaplains. Chris and Frank explain the history of the chaplaincy, current practices and opportunities for religious servicemembers, the need for greater support for Catholic chaplains and soldiers, and more!

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Read Chris' piece on Army cuts for chaplains here:

https://thehill.com/opinion/national-security/5628554-catholic-chaplains-face-army-cuts/

Topics: US Military, free exercise, Fr. Emil Kapaun, Fr. Vincent Capodanno, Father O’Callahan.

The Napa Legal Podcast, December 18, 2025