Pentagon Calls Boy Scouts Too Woke, Plans to End 100-Year Partnership

Hegseth Calls Organization “Genderless”

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth wants to sever all ties between the U.S. military and Scouting America.

In leaked memos to Congress, he accused the organization of becoming “genderless” and attacking “boy-friendly spaces.”

The group, formerly known as the Boy Scouts of America, has admitted gay youth since 2013 and girls since 2018.

Now Hegseth says the Pentagon should stop providing trucks, ambulances, and medical teams to the National Jamboree.

He also wants to ban Scout troops from meeting on military bases. The partnership dates back more than a century, and what happens next could reshape both organizations.

Teddy Roosevelt Was Chief Scout Citizen

The Boy Scouts of America was incorporated on February 8, 1910, by W.D. Boyce.

President William Howard Taft became honorary president, and Theodore Roosevelt became honorary vice president and “Chief Scout Citizen.”

Roosevelt took a great interest in Boy Scouting and wrote that it was of “unquestioned value to our country.”

He was the first and only man designated as Chief Scout Citizen.

The organization grew rapidly, and military support was formalized in 1937. For generations, the Scouts and the armed forces worked side by side.

Gay Youth Admitted in 2013

On May 23, 2013, the Boy Scouts of America’s national governing body voted to rescind the long-standing ban on openly homosexual youth in the program.

The policy took effect on January 1, 2014. The organization ended a blanket ban on gay adult leaders in 2015.

These decisions marked a major shift for an organization that had defended its exclusionary policies all the way to the Supreme Court in 2000.

Some conservative commentators linked the changes to membership decline, as traditional, religiously affiliated families left.

Girls Joined the Scouts in 2018

On October 11, 2017, the Boy Scouts announced that girls would be allowed to become Cub Scouts starting in 2018, and that in 2019, a program for older girls would be available, enabling them to earn the rank of Eagle Scout.

There were nearly 1,000 young women in the inaugural class of female Eagle Scouts in 2021. Scouting America currently serves more than 176,000 girls and young women across all programs, including over 6,000 who have earned the rank of Eagle Scout.

Name Changed to Scouting America

The Boy Scouts of America announced on May 7, 2024, that it would change its name to Scouting America on February 8, 2025, the organization’s 115th anniversary.

“Though our name will be new, our mission remains unchanged: we are committed to teaching young people to be Prepared For Life,” said Roger A.Krone, president and chief executive officer.

The rebranding was meant to signal that both boys and girls were welcome. It also gave Hegseth another reason to object.

Sexual Abuse Led to Bankruptcy

The Boy Scouts of America filed for bankruptcy in February 2020 when it was facing hundreds of sexual abuse lawsuits involving thousands of alleged abuse survivors.

The final settlement, approved in September 2022, reached $2.46 billion, incorporating contributions from the BSA, its insurers, local councils, and chartered organizations such as churches.

More than 82,000 survivors were involved in the case. The organization emerged from bankruptcy in 2023, but the scandal left lasting damage to its reputation.

Military Sends 500 Troops to Jamboree

The West Virginia National Guard leads military and interagency support for the National Jamboree at the Summit Bechtel Family National Scout Reserve.

More than 500 service members from the Army, Navy, Air Force, and Coast Guard provide logistics, transportation, security, medical care, and communications.

Congress mandated Department of Defense support of the National Jamboree in 2005 because “support for youth organization events simulates the preparation, logistics, and leadership required for defending our national security.”

The military also puts on aviation and skydiving demonstrations at no cost.

Eagle Scouts Fill Military Academies

As many as 20 percent of cadets and midshipmen at the service academies are Eagle Scouts, according to statistics from Scouting America.

About 35.5 percent of West Point cadets were involved in Scouting as youth, with 15.6 percent holding the Eagle Scout rank.

Enlistees who’ve earned Eagle get advanced military rank and better pay. Under Hegseth’s proposal, that practice would end.

The pipeline from Scouting to military service has shaped generations of officers and enlisted personnel.

Navy Secretary Warns of Recruitment Harm

In a memo sent to the Pentagon’s Undersecretary for Policy, Navy Secretary John Phelan warned the proposed new policy might be “too restrictive.”

He wrote that up to a third of the Navy’s officers in training have some scouting background. His warning shows the proposal is already causing friction inside the Pentagon.

“Passive support to Scouting America through access to military installations and educational opportunities aboard said installations serve as a crucial recruiting and community engagement tool for the Navy,” Phelan wrote.

Hegseth Uses National Security Loophole

Congress requires the Pentagon to support the Scouting program’s Jamboree, but the law includes an exemption: the Secretary of Defense can withhold support if he determines providing it would be “detrimental to national security.”

Hegseth is invoking that clause. He argues the Pentagon does not have the budget to send troops for the 10-day youth event and that resources are better needed for border operations.

Hegseth was never a Boy Scout himself, instead choosing a church-based youth group.

Scouting America Says It Was Blindsided

“From the tremendous support of the West Virginia National Guard at our National Jamborees to Scout troops that provide stability for the children of military families deployed around the globe, our nation’s military has walked side-by-side with Scouts for generations,” Scouting America said in a statement.

“Scouting is and has always been a nonpartisan organization. Over more than a century, we’ve worked constructively with every U.S. presidential administration, Democratic and Republican.”

The documents have not yet been officially submitted to Congress.

A Century of Scouts and Soldiers

The leaked memos have not become official policy. Congress could push back. But for now, a 100-year partnership is on the line.

The Boy Scouts once held their Jamborees at military bases, and presidents from Taft to Trump have praised the organization.

Trump himself spoke at the 2017 Jamboree in West Virginia, calling Scouts “the best citizens.” What comes next will say a lot about how both institutions define themselves going forward.

Visiting the National Scouting Museum, New Mexico

The National Scouting Museum opened at Philmont Scout Ranch in Cimarron, New Mexico, on May 29, 2018.

It holds over 600,000 artifacts, including the first Eagle Scout medal ever awarded. Admission is free.

The museum is open seven days a week, except on noted holidays. The ranch’s address is 17 Deer Run Rd., Cimarron, New Mexico, 87714.

While you’re there, you can also tour the Villa Philmonte, the 1926 Mediterranean-style summer home of oil magnate Waite Phillips, who donated the land.

This article was created with AI assistance and human editing.

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