Included in the House version of the 2007 defense authorization bill is language that would overturn the Air Force’s recently revised religious guidelines by allowing chaplains to pray according to their own religions even in mandatory military formations. The Air Force—and the Navy—had issued earlier this year revised guidelines that would keep prayers at official events generic and would give chaplains the option not to officiate. The service, which has said that the latest revision is not final, is still also embroiled in a lawsuit that says it has permitted proselytizing at the Air Force Academy.
Amid a high-profile recruiting crisis, Air Force leaders and experts have increasingly noted the challenging long-term trends the service will face in enticing young Americans to sign up—decreasing eligibility to serve, less propensity to do so, and less familiarity with the military. But while those same leaders say there’s no “silver…