For 46 years, the Navy Chaplain Corps has been ably supported by a dedicated group of Sailors from chapel pew to field of battle.
The Navy’s religious program specialist - better known by their abbreviation RP - enlisted rating has provided support to Navy chaplains and been a trusted source to confide since being officially established January 15, 1979.
RPs help develop programs to meet the needs of servicemembers and their families, manage and execute command religious program to accommodate the diverse religious ministry requirements of Navy and Marine Corps personnel and their families. They accommodate religious ministry requirements and support the provision of religious ministry. RPs also advise leadership on ethical decision-making, cross cultural awareness and conflict resolution.
RPs can also be found in expeditionary environments, providing force protection expertise to Navy chaplains assigned to Marine Corps units.
They are also assigned to military treatment facilities like Naval Hospital Bremerton.
Religious Program Specialist 1st Class Bradley Smith transferred to NHB Pastoral Care in 2024 after a sea tour on USS George Washington (CVN 73). His role is helping those in need.
“I encounter Sailors daily who are not aware that religious program specialists are also protected by the same confidentiality as chaplains. When you visit the chaplain’s office for counseling, rest assured that what is discussed there is 100 percent confidential. Everything shared in the chaplain’s office stays strictly within the office,” said Smith, a Reno, Nevada native with 18 years of Navy service.
As chaplain assistant, Smith has helped coordinate over 500 individual personal counseling sessions, oversee several Readiness and Resiliency Trainings, direct 10 SARP spirituality trainings, conduct 14 weekly reflections and support numerous command-centric ceremonial events requiring Navy chaplain services.
Smith wants others to know that his primary focus is to care for Sailors, Marines and their family. He places high value on the opportunity to help others through counseling and being there for them when they need it most.
“The most gratifying thing about my position is that every day, I am amazed by the excellence, professionalism, and dedication of the Sailors here,” Smith said. “I cannot recall any other command that is as supportive and encouraging as NMRTC Bremerton.”
Religious program specialists like Smith bring Marines, Sailors, and their families together. They help to support their mental health through faith, whether they’re religious or not. They support suicide prevention, coordinate relationship advice, help address self-esteem issues, and more to make sure there is always someone available to talk to and listen.