As the United States conducts foreign policy and military operations, it must assess and consider the impact of religion in societies to achieve long-term stability in a region. So say authors Chaplain (Col) William Sean Lee, ARNG; Lt Col Christopher J. Burke, USAF; and Lt Col Zonna M. Crayne, ANG, in proposing that the role of military chaplains be expanded to include what they term "religious liaison," allowing for formal involvement of indigenous religious leaders in stability operations. Rather than avoiding religion in implementing foreign policy, they would allow chaplains to directly interface with indigenous religious leaders to develop dialogue, build relationships, promote goodwill, and create formal inter-religious councils. Lee, Burke, and Crayne recommend changes to doctrine, training, and assignments necessary to facilitate this expanded role. They note commanders often use a military lawyer and intelligence officer when making substantial decisions; chaplains can be just as important to a commander conducting stability operations. This policy implementation would assist the US military in transforming the asymmetric, soft power of indigenous religious influence into a significant source of power for mission accomplishment and enable a greater chance for achieving US foreign policy goals.

To help illustrate the vital role military chaplains can play as peace builders, let's begin by examining a fictional but plausible scenario. The US intelligence community is surprised to learn that a fundamentalist religious group calling itself the "Sword of Allah" has seized control of both weapons of mass destruction (WMD) and their delivery systems in the moderate Islamic Republic of Korastan. The Korastani military is a probable source of aid from sympathizers within its ranks. The longsuspected possession of nuclear materials and delivery capability of Korastan has been confirmed independently through both Department of State and Department of Defense (DOD) contacts with Korastani government officials.