September 2025

Transmitter Articles for September 2025

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First Year Report Card

by Chaplain (Col.) John F. Reutemann III, 22nd Chief of Chaplains

Since the national Chaplain Corps staff has just completed our first year in Maj. Gen. Regena Aye’s tour as National Commander, I thought it would be appropriate to share some highlights. Much of this has already been covered in previous issues of The Transmitter, but it’s worth seeing in one place all of the great work that we have collectively accomplished in just one year. I may be the Chief of Chaplains but I certainly couldn’t have done any of this without such an amazing and robust staff, and so I gladly share these highlights as a means of bragging about them. We must also publicly thank Gen. Aye who has given our 1.4k member Corps such strong support and such wide latitude to develop and lead in the domain of spiritual fitness…thank you, ma’am!

So, without further ado, here’s what your national Chaplain Corps staff has been up to during this first year:

• We restructured the national Chaplain Corps staff to follow the example of the rest of the Air Force which uses 3-letter divisions under each of the 2-letter directorates (e.g., DP, PA, HC, DO, IG, etc.). So, for us in HC, there are now four 3-letter divisions: HCE, HCP, HCT, & HCX, each headed by its own Chief and containing its own staff. This replaces the previous structure of having multiple “Deputy Chief of Chaplains for…” and creates a team of teams with better span of control. This also pushes decision-making downwards, empowering lower-level leaders to truly lead their own staff and develop themselves in the process.

• At the 2-letter directorate level (which is now comprised of just me, my one Deputy Chief of Chaplains, my National CDI, and my Executive Officer), we have continued the previous Chief of Chaplains’ focus on physically showing up. That is, someone from my immediate team has been able to attend all of the in-person Chaplain Corps Region Staff Colleges (CCRSCs), presenting the same slides to deliver consistent messaging as a unified front.

• Someone from the 2-letter directorate level has also been present – either physically or virtually – at every single meeting of the Board of Governors, the Senior Advisory Group (monthly), the Command Council (bi-annually), and the NHQ Business Planning meeting (bi-weekly), in addition to the Military Chaplains Association (MCA) Conference, the National Conference on Ministry to the Armed Forces (NCMAF), and the Youth Development Conference (YDC).

• HCE (Education & Training)

• Developed the logo for the 75th Anniversary of the CAP Chaplain Corps and celebrated the beginning of the jubilee year with a cake-cutting, jointly presided over by the Air & Space Forces Chief of Chaplains, Chaplain (Maj. Gen.) Trent Davis and the CAP Deputy Chief of Chaplains, Chaplain (Lt. Col.) Van Don Williams. (Challenge coins with the 75th Anniversary logo are still available for purchase by emailing hce@hc.cap.gov

• Installed a historical display at the Air Force Chaplain Corps College (AFCCC) at Maxwell AFB, Montgomery, AL, highlighting the contributions of CAP chaplains to the rest of the Total Force.

• Invited to present at the Air Force’s in-person Wing Chaplain Course held twice a year, teaching brand new wing chaplains in the Air Force about CAP’s capabilities and how to go about the process of requesting CAP chaplain support via an Air Force-Assigned Mission (AFAM). Given that success, select CAP chaplains were further invited to attend Air University’s 2-week, in-person Academic Instructor Course to become certified to teach regularly at the AFCCC.

• Served as the liaison to both the CAP Chaplain Corps College (CAPCCC) and the Chaplain Emergency Services School (ChESS), at which were conducted multiple iterations of 8 different courses, culminating in 17 total offerings over this past year.

• Worked with HCT to integrate all Chaplain Corps courses into Absorb, thus enabling greater ability to track members’ education & training progress in E-Services.

• HCP (Personnel)

• Reduced chaplain/CDI appointment time to 24 hours from the time the application makes it to NHQ. There are sometimes still delays when applications get stuck at wing or region, but no longer with us at national.

• Began revisions on CAPR 80-1 to update the role of CDI to be more of a spiritual fitness professional position (akin to the Air Force’s “Religious Affairs Airman”), serving more clearly as the non-ordained side of the Chaplain Corps and not just instructors of Character Development classes, as important as that is.

• Published clarifications for important personnel issues, including how to get a validly-issued ecclesiastical endorsement, how to retire from the Chaplain Corps as a separate process from retiring from CAP, and how to earn the grade of Major upon completion of a doctoral degree.

• Worked with HCE to develop a pre-appointment course that will help bridge the knowledge gap that exists between the time of appointment as chaplains/CDIs and their initial Chaplain Corps training.

• Set a goal to have a chaplain and/or a CDI assigned at each group within CAP. Although the ideal is of course to have one at each squadron, we recognize that as too lofty of a goal for this term, and so we thought that a challenging yet attainable goal would be the group level. Not all wings have groups, but for those that do, these group chaplains/CDIs will provide spiritual coverage for all squadrons within their groups, while also providing an upward development opportunity for those chaplains/CDIs who want to lead at the next level.

• HCT (Technology)

• Developed a data-reporting tool to try to quantify the sometimes hard-to-quantify work that we do, such as interactions with cadets at encampment and how many resulted in RTDs (return to duty) vs. going home.  During this summer, they beta-tested this tool at several encampments: 73 HC members (chaplains or CDIs) recorded interactions with 4,575 cadets, only 26 of whom chose to go home, resulting in a 99% RTD rate!

• Developed a sign-up for the daily virtual Incident Command Post (vICP) such that there will always be a chaplain present. HC members can log in to see which shifts are available, sign up according to their schedule, and then receive text message reminders. Thank-you messages are automatically sent after their last shift.

• Developed a software that locates CAP chaplains within any set radius of each Air Force base in order to assist with the increasing number of AFAM requests that CAP/HC is receiving from Air Force wing chaplains.

• Combined distribution lists for Chaplain Corps members as it was discovered that chaplains/CDIs assigned to -000 units were not being accounted for accurately within the Corps.

• Shut down two rogue Chaplain Corps websites that were still showing up in Google searches and potentially confusing would-be chaplains by displaying outdated information.

• HCX (Plans & Programs)

• Authored guides for Air Force wing chaplains on how to go through the steps of the AFAM process and how to integrate a CAP chaplain onto their base and into their teams. This is in response to the increased demand for CAP chaplains by the Air Force, having initiated 4 new AFAMs this year on top of the 5 already in place.

• Invited to attend the Air Force Chaplain Corps’ “Readiness Training-for-the-Trainer,” a 5-day in-person course at the USAF Expeditionary Center at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, NJ.  Chaplain (Lt. Col.) Morison, as the Chief of HCX, was then invited to return for each future iteration of the course to teach on the CAP Chaplain Corps’ capabilities to support domestic contingency operations.

• Redesigned the monthly newsletter The Transmitter by including more relevant material and working with HCT to refine layout and make articles web-based, reaching 2,340 members (all HC members and all commanders) and achieving a 64% open rate (which is quite high for emailed newsletters).

• Increased collaboration with NHQ’s Safety and Health Services directorates, as seen in their tri-directorate monthly newsletter The Dispatch.

• Developed the concept of “virtual chaplaincy” for CAP by providing a chaplain and CDI to CAP’s Overseas Group as an initial rollout, which will then serve as a roadmap for other chaplains and CDIs to serve geographically-separated units.

As you can see, your national Chaplain Corps staff has been staying busy to serve you better. And of course, this report card doesn’t capture the great work being done by Chaplain Corps leaders at your regions, wings, and groups, for which I am immensely grateful as well. Please continue to pass up your ideas so that we may do our best to continue to serve you. As we say in my religious tradition, “oremus pro invicem!” meaning “let us pray for each other!”  I am grateful for your prayers for me and my team, and I assure you of my daily prayers for you and your ministry as chaplains and CDIs in the CAP Chaplain Corps, ensuring the religious freedom and spiritual fitness of almost 70,000 volunteers serving America's communities, saving lives, and shaping futures.

 

Civil Air Patrol and the Air Force ROTC: Challenging and Rewarding Ministry

 

by Chaplain (Capt.) Phineus Jacobus

CAP serves multiple roles supporting the US Air Force's missions, and one relatively new area is working with the AFROTC (Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corps) by providing Chaplain support to those detachments. In the United States university system, there are 145 AFROTC detachments across 1,100 colleges. Some units are small, with around 30 cadets, while others are larger, with several hundred cadets. I serve at the largest AFROTC Detachment (805), which has about 750 cadets.

Almost four years ago, Col. Sherri LeVan recognized the need for Chaplain Corps support and thus requested help from the Holm Center for Officer Accessions which is the organization headquartered at Maxwell AFB that oversees all AFROTCs, AFJROTCs, and OTS. Subsequently, a call was made to the CAP Chief of Chaplain’s office about providing a CAP Chaplain for the Texas A&M AFROTC detachment, and in February 2022, I joined Det. 805 as their designated Chaplain.

The aspiration to serve as a Chaplain within a military unit has been a guiding ambition for me since 1974. This enduring goal continues to shape my dedication to supporting cadets and military personnel through meaningful chaplaincy roles and responsibilities.

While most detachments do not require a full-time chaplain, due to the size of my AFROTC Detachment and the similarly-large Army and Navy ROTC units, my job involves over 30 hours per week of training, counseling, and supporting the spiritual fitness of cadets and military cadre. This means helping them navigate their challenging experiences in the Texas A&M Corps of Cadets (all ROTC cadets at Texas A&M are required to be part of the 3,000-member Corps of Cadets) and offering support as needed. In addition, I collaborate with college pastors at various churches and provide information about different religious groups both on and off campus.

Saying that my assignment at Texas A&M is fulfilling is an understatement. Every day involves engaging with the military cadre and cadets. Each day varies and is incredibly rewarding. If you want an opportunity to serve and influence the lives of military cadets and future military leaders, then consider exploring the AFROTC ministry in CAP.

USAF Chaplains Summit 2025

Last month our CAP Chief of Chaplains was invited to participate in the USAF Chaplain Corps Summit for Senior Religious Support Team leadership. This included the Wing/Delta Level and above Chaplains and their Religious Affairs Airmen. Approximately 250 Air Force personnel attended the conference. Due to the CAP Command Council meeting, Chaplain Reutemann, CAP Chief of Chaplains, requested Chaplain Lt. Col. Michael Morison, Chief of Plans and Programs (HCX), to represent him. 

A noteworthy point of emphasis at the conference was the Air Force acknowledgment that total warrior fitness requires spiritual fitness. The conference focused on the following areas: spiritual fitness, moral injury, self-care, partnerships, direct ministry, and the importance of training and deploying as a team. Copies of the Air Force training guides for spiritual fitness and moral injury were provided to attendees. Much of this information will be shared with you over the next months.

Major General Sean Choquette, USAF Joint Staff Deputy J3, noted that “chaplains are my people to go to, personally and professionally.” He also pointed out that it is tougher to grow up resilient today and that spirituality is the basis for resilience. Spiritual fitness is the realm of the chaplain corps. MG Choquette challenged Chaplains and Religious Affairs Airmen with this question, “How do we operationalize ourselves?” 

USAF Chief of Chaplains, Chaplain, MG Trent Davis’ three-year challenge is to be “HC Ready!” He noted that we must generate Religious Support Team (RST) readiness. To ensure mission readiness, it is vital to connect with our teammates. Chaplain Davis encouraged us to consider the following:

1. Does the local RST plan inform an annual mission plan

2. There should be measurable objectives.

3. Best practices should be shared across the spectrum.

4. Utilize new tools.

5. Ignite peer accountability networks and partnerships.

6. Use small learning cohorts.

Finally, Chaplain Davis noted that we need to go forth with conviction, understanding who we are and what our ministry is. There is an opportunity here for a shared vision to be “HC READY!” and to help our members to be spiritually fit to serve.

Ethical Drift 

(synopsis of a talk by Maj. Gen. Rebecca Vernon, USAF, Deputy Judge Advocate General) by Chaplain (Lt. Col.) Michael Morison, Chief of Plans and Programs for the Chaplain Corps)

What is ethical drift? Why is it important? How does it affect the individual and organization? Maj. Gen. Vernon has explored this issue over her years of service in the Judge Advocate General’s Corps. Her insights are valuable for the Chaplain Corps and for Command. Both the Chaplain Corps and Command share the responsibility for being guardians of our core values. When not monitored, ethical drift can lead to a decay of our core values and culture.

At the annual USAF Chaplain Corps Summit, Maj. Gen. Rebecca Vernon discussed the challenge presented by ethical drift. It gradually takes place over time and is the result of the normalization of deviance from the ethical value. By understanding how people and groups make decisions, we have an opportunity to address and prevent cultural decay. She noted that those who appear in the defendant’s chair because of ethical drift often ask: “How did I get here?”

Maj. Gen. Vernon proposed that there is a decision-making highway which has rationalization exits leading to ethical drift. Therefore, the enemy of ethical action is rationalization.

The Ethical Highway and its Exits:

1. Is there an issue here?

2. Is there a clear right or wrong answer?

   • It can turn into a risk-based decision (not right or wrong, it becomes about mitigating risk)

3. Is it relevant to me?

   • Abdicate responsibility if there is a more senior person in the room.

4. Is this serious enough?

   • Small things do matter.

   • Rationalization: It’s not the crime of the century.

5. What’s going to happen to me?

   • Will it be supported?

   • I want the person to be empowered to speak.

Ethical Drift is the normalization of deviation.

• Deviation becomes a new normal. (Nothing may happen or something good may happen.)

• When it goes bad. (How did this happen?)

Common traits of Organizational Ethical Drift:

1. Unrealistic goals

2. Lack of resources

3. No incentive to do the right thing

4. A weak ethical culture

5. Not an unrealistic goal - rather, it is the wrong goal

Ethical culture uses values that guide our decision making. When we change the goal, we change our behavior. Here lies the danger for cultural decay.

How does ethical drift threaten the organization?

1. Safety incidents

2. Erosion of climate and culture

3. Personal ethical drift

Among the greatest risk factors for ethical drift:

1. Lack of accountability (Making a rule and not enforcing it indicates that it doesn’t matter)

2. Ignore the small stuff (Small things do matter)

3. Priorities vs. Values

4. Misplaced priorities

5. Lack of trust

Maj. Gen. Vernon noted that units with the lowest ethical drift are also units with the highest morale. As guardians of the core values, the Chaplain Corps is a significant lifeguard against ethical drift. The Chaplain Corps provides an ethical backstop for our members and commanders. The Chaplain Corps monitors ethics and morale, serves as ombudsman and advocate, and provides advise to members and commanders. Maj. Gen. Vernon’s insights provide the Chaplain Corps and commanders with the tools to identify and correct ethical drift before it negatively affects our culture and mission.