A Century of Support Comes to an End
The Pentagon, under the direction of Pete Hegseth, is preparing to sever its long-standing ties with the Boy Scouts of America, now known as Scouting America. This decisive move concludes a partnership that has lasted for over a century, driven by the organisation's promotion of diversity, equity, and inclusion and its controversial decision to remove the word 'boy' from its name.
The Rationale Behind the Rupture
According to leaked documents reported by NPR, Hegseth condemned the name change to Scouting America as a 'genderless' attack on 'boy-friendly spaces'. He stated, 'The organization once endorsed by President Theodore Roosevelt no longer supports the future of American boys.' The military is set to terminate several key programmes, including providing medical and logistical support for the Scouts' National Jamboree and ceasing to allow Scout meetings on military bases.
This support has historically been invaluable, offering aviation and skydiving demonstrations and providing trucks, ambulances, and medics free of charge. These resources served both training purposes and acted as a recruitment tool. The Pentagon is now drafting documents for Hegseth to present to Congress, which legally mandates the Department of Defense to support the Scouts. However, Hegseth appears to be exploiting a legal loophole that permits ending support if it is deemed 'detrimental to national security'. An internal memo suggests that providing resources to the Jamboree while simultaneously managing the border would constitute such a detriment.
Broader Implications and Organisational Shift
Further reports indicate Hegseth's frustration that the Scouts have strayed from their original mission to 'cultivate masculine values'. This policy shift occurs as Scouting America emerges from a $2.4 billion bankruptcy reorganization in 2023, which addressed over 80,000 claims of historical sexual abuse. The organisation's transformation has been significant. In 2024, it announced the name change to Scouting America, effective from 8 February 2025, its 115th birthday, in a bid to 'boost inclusion'.
This is the latest in a series of modernising changes. The Boy Scouts began allowing gay youth in 2013, ended a blanket ban on gay adult leaders in 2015, and started welcoming girls into its programmes from 2018. These changes have impacted membership; from a high of over 2 million in 2018, numbers have now fallen to just over 1 million youths, including more than 176,000 girls and young women. A Pentagon spokesperson declined to comment on 'leaked documents that we cannot authenticate', while a Scouting America spokesperson reaffirmed its nonpartisan nature, highlighting its work with every administration to build 'future leaders grounded in integrity'.
