A Shields of Strength dog tag featuring the U.S. Marine Corps logo on one side and a Bible verse on the other side. A years-long dispute over the use of licensed military logos on religious-themed replica dog tags has resulted in a federal lawsuit against the Defense Department. (Image from lawsuit)
AUSTIN, Texas — A Christian jewelry company has reached a “multimillion-dollar” settlement with the Defense Department and regained legal use of military logos after a more than five-year battle over its religious-themed dog tag replicas.
Shields of Strength, a Christian jewelry company based in Beaumont, Texas, filed a lawsuit in 2021 in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas in Tyler, about two years after the Pentagon revoked agreements that allowed the company to put trademarked logos of the military services alongside Christian symbols and Bible verses.
First Liberty Institute, the law firm representing Shields of Strength, announced the settlement Monday but said it could not share the exact amount the Pentagon agreed to pay the company under the agreement. However, the firm stated the settlement returned a license to the company, and production of jewelry can resume.
The Defense Department “will correct its licensing policy to allow products like Shields of Strength, work to provide notice to military leaders and exchanges that Shields now has a license for its products, and ensure a process is in place to renew the licenses in the future,” First Liberty said in a statement.
Defense officials referred all questions about the settlement to the Justice Department, which did not immediately respond Monday to a request for comment.
“Shields of Strength has been a source of strength and encouragement for our military heroes for over 25 years,” said Kenny Vaughan, owner of Shields of Strength. “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.”
Vaughan began making the tags in 1998 and received a trademark license in 2011 from the Army, Air Force and Marine Corps, which is when the military began requiring the licenses, according to the lawsuit. At that time the Navy did not grant the license because of the religious nature of the products.
The company lost its agreements in 2019 after a group that advocates for the separation of religion from the military, the Military Religious Freedom Foundation, submitted complaints to Defense Department trademark offices, according to the lawsuit.
A Shields of Strength dog tag featuring “Army Mom” on one side and a Bible verse on the other side. A years-long dispute over the use of licensed military logos on religious-themed replica dog tags has resulted in a federal lawsuit against the Defense Department. (Image from lawsuit)
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Last modified: July 18, 2026
