FOREWORD
This newsletter contains lessons on U.S. Army Unit Ministry Team (UMT) activities derived from observations made during U.S. Army operations in Somalia, Haiti, Macedonia, and Bosnia-Herzegovina. The information contained herein is offered to supplement, not supplant, Army doctrine.
UMTs are comprised of a chaplain and a chaplain's assistant -- which should be considered as a single entity when deployed to a contingency operation. The chaplain should not be deployed without the assistant. The religious activities of the UMT include worship, pastoral care, religious education, and spiritual fitness training. UMTs help soldiers, families, and authorized civilians exercise their religious beliefs and practices. UMTs are normally assigned down to battalion level.
UMTs were officially authorized in the Army in 1909 when the chaplain's assistant position was recognized as an essential adjunct to the Army chaplain in providing religious support throughout the Army. However, the chaplaincy has been an important part of our Army for more than 200 years. The chaplain's role is to lead worship services, preach, and teach according to the beliefs and practices of the endorsing faith group. The chaplain performs ecclesiastical rites and ceremonies, administers the sacraments and ordinances of the endorsing faith community, and gives pastoral care to soldiers and families.
The chaplain serves on the commander's special staff and has direct access to the commander -- who may choose to include the chaplain on his personal staff. As a staff officer, the chaplain advises the commander and staff on matters of religion, morals, and morale. The chaplain also advises the commander on moral, ethical, and humanitarian aspects of command policies. The chaplain and the chaplain's assistant should be included in all operational planning done by the command.
The lessons contained in this newsletter are offered to commanders and staffs as well as to chaplains and their assistants. In the UMT, the commander has an effective resource which can serve him well in monitoring the pulse of the command. It is intended that these lessons help commanders who may, in the future, be assigned contingency missions anywhere in the world. The Army UMT will be an important part of those operations.
EDWARD J. FITZGERALD III
COL,
IN
Director,
Center for Army Lessons Learned
Section
I: Planning
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