Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced in a video on X that the Department of Defense has “put Scouting America on notice,” giving the organization formerly known as the Boy Scouts six months before the Pentagon will reevaluate their relationship. Hegseth framed the move as an ultimatum for Scouting to align with what he described as the Trump administration’s opposition to diversity, equity and inclusion efforts.
Hegseth accused Scouting America of having “lost their way” after changing its name and of diluting a focus on God. He said the group had embraced “an insidious, radical, woke ideology that is anti-America and anti-American,” and said he would prefer the organization to return to being exclusively male: “Ideally, I believe the Boy Scouts should go back to being the Boy Scouts as originally founded, a group that develops boys into men.”
The announcement followed weeks of tension after a January meeting in which Hegseth demanded Scouting revert to the Boy Scouts name and remove roughly 200,000 girls from membership. Scouting America CEO Roger Krone told NPR he knew his board would not make those changes, saying the organization decided to serve “the entire family” and that including girls is part of that service.
After the meeting, Scouting officials offered several concessions short of renaming or expelling girls: dropping a Citizenship in Society merit badge created after George Floyd’s killing, adding a Military Service merit badge, waiving membership fees for military families, and holding a public rededication emphasizing duty to God, country and service. Scouting planned to implement those changes regardless, and its leaders later said members and alumni lobbied to preserve the decades-old partnership with the Pentagon.
Hegseth reiterated longstanding criticisms that Scouting has accommodated progressive politics, saying the organization “no longer supported and celebrated boys” and had “welcomed the destructive myth of gender fluidity and transgenderism.” He announced that Scouting America would modify policy to state membership is based on biological sex at birth and that applications would include only “male” and “female” designations matching birth certificates. Krone noted Scouting’s application already asks for only two sex categories and said the information is used to safeguard kids in settings such as tenting and bathrooms. He also pointed to stricter safety policies implemented after sexual abuse revelations and a $2.46 billion victim compensation fund.
If the Pentagon had severed ties, consequences would have included barring scout meetings on military bases, withdrawing military medical and logistical support for the quadrennial Scout Jamboree, and ending coordination that allows Eagle Scouts to enlist at an advanced rank and pay. NPR reported the Pentagon had drafted internal notifications to congressional Armed Services Committees justifying withdrawal of Jamboree support, arguing that providing help could threaten national security.
Hegseth’s decision to delay action for six months represented a partial retreat amid backlash, including criticism from some Republicans; Rep. Don Bacon called the plan “up there” among dumb ideas. For now, base access for Scout troops will continue and Jamboree assistance remains planned, including recruitment coordination. Hegseth emphasized Scouting’s historical ties to the military and civic leadership, noting, “Six Boy Scouts have been elected president of the United States. Eleven of the 12 Men to walk on the Moon [were] boy Scouts.”
