The conservative legal nonprofit First Liberty Institute announced Monday that its client, Shields of Strength, has reached a major settlement with the Defense Department to resume production of its military-themed dog tags with Bible verses.

The group did not specify how much the settlement was worth, but said it was a "multi-million dollar settlement." The settlement comes after production of the dog tags was halted following a complaint from an anti-religious group in 2019.

“This is a great victory not only for Shields of Strength and its owner, Kenny Vaughan, but also for the brave men and women of our armed forces and their families,” Erin Smith, Associate Counsel for First Liberty Institute, said in a press release. “Our servicemembers, and their families, wear Shields of Strength dog tags as a reminder of the selfless service and sacrifice of those who protect our freedom and a reminder of their faith and trust in God."

The settlement agreement gives Shields of Strength a license to produce the dog tags while the department will correct its licensing policy to allow the religious dog tags and ensure a process is in place to renew licenses in the future.

“Shields of Strength has been a source of strength and encouragement for our military heroes for over 25 years,” Vaughan said. “Every dog tag we ever made was at the request of the troops and their families and it was our honor to do so. We are blessed that we can once again meet the needs of our fighting men and women.” 

The nonprofit said more than 4 million Shields of Strength dog tags have been distributed altogether so far, with two million donated by Shields.

Misty Severi is a news reporter for Just The News. You can follow her on X for more coverage.