WASHINGTON — Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth revealed Friday that Scouting America must implement new policies to keep its partnership with the U.S. military, including mandating that members identify by “biological sex at birth and not gender identity.”
Several modifications reflect proposals the organization presented to the Defense Department in January, such as eliminating its Citizenship in Society merit badge while creating a Military Service merit badge and waiving fees for military families’ children.
The Pentagon under Hegseth has challenged the military’s relationship with Scouting America, criticizing the organization’s 2024 name change from Boy Scouts and other recent modifications he views as “woke culture” initiatives he aims to eliminate.
In a video shared on X, Hegseth stated the Pentagon will conduct a “vigorous review” of organizational changes over the next six months and will withdraw support from Scouting America if compliance fails.
“We hope that doesn’t happen, but it could,” Hegseth stated. “Ideally I believe the Boy Scouts should go back to being the Boy Scouts as originally founded, a group that develops boys into men. Maybe someday.”
The Texas-based Scouting America has not yet responded to requests for comment.
The organization welcomed gay youth starting in 2013, lifted its complete prohibition on gay adult leaders in 2015, and declared in 2017 it would admit transgender students. Girls joined as Cub Scouts beginning in 2018 and entered the primary Boy Scout program — now called Scouts BSA — in 2019. By May 2024, over 6,000 girls had achieved the prestigious Eagle Scout designation.
Earlier this month, the Pentagon released a statement reviewing its Scouting America relationship, asserting the organization had “lost its way” and describing its diversity, equity and inclusion programs as “unacceptable.”
“Scouting America’s leadership has made decisions that run counter to the values of this administration,” the February 6 statement declared, “including an embrace of DEI and other social justice, gender-fluid ideological stances.”
Pentagon officials previously indicated they and Scouting America were approaching an agreement to maintain their partnership provided the organization “rapidly implements the common-sense, core value reforms.”
“Scouting America remains far from perfect, but they have firmly committed to a return to core principles,” the statement noted. “Back to God and country—immediately!”
The military and Boy Scouts have maintained extensive connections, with armed forces providing logistical assistance for the National Boy Scout Jamboree since 1937.
Military branches also historically sponsor Scout units and programs on bases nationwide while maintaining strong Eagle Scout relationships, as many members later join the military.
Last year, Scouting America expressed concerns after NPR reported the Pentagon intended to eliminate support for Scout programs on military installations and the National Jamboree while removing pay grade increases for enlisting Eagle Scouts.
The Scouts informed Hegseth in January that following his recommendations, they developed a review plan including discontinuing their Citizenship in Society merit badge, introducing a Military Service merit badge, waiving military personnel registration fees, conducting a rededication ceremony emphasizing leadership and service to God and country, and dissolving their DEI board committee.
Established in 1910, the Boy Scouts of America gained prominent status across the nation over decades, with pinewood derbies, the Scout Oath, and Eagle Scouts becoming cultural touchstones.
Legend suggests American businessman William Boyce founded the organization after becoming lost in London fog and receiving guidance from a youth who refused payment, explaining that as a scout (British scouts formed in 1907) he couldn’t accept money for good deeds.
The organization has since encountered controversies and experienced substantial transformations.
In 1990, officials expelled an Eagle Scout turned assistant scoutmaster upon learning he co-led his university’s gay and lesbian organization. His 1992 discrimination lawsuit reached the Supreme Court, which ruled the Scouts could maintain membership standards excluding gay individuals.
While conservative groups supported the Boy Scouts, numerous institutions withdrew backing as the ban persisted. The restriction ended in 2013. By 2015, the organization eliminated its complete ban on gay adult leaders while permitting church-sponsored units to maintain religious exemptions.
In 2017, Boy Scouts announced they would accept transgender children identifying as boys into boys-only programs following an incident where an 8-year-old was removed from his New Jersey troop after parents and leaders discovered he was transgender.
The Boy Scouts also confronted numerous sexual abuse allegations and filed for bankruptcy protection in 2020 amid approximately 275 lawsuits and awareness of 1,400 additional claims.
In 2023, a judge approved the $2.4 billion bankruptcy plan enabling continued operations while compensating over 80,000 men who filed abuse claims from their scouting experiences.
Last year, Scouting America President and CEO Roger Krone recognized some rebranding criticism but characterized the overall reaction as positive and generating broader interest.
“The fact that we were going with a more kind of gender-neutral name, a lot of people kind of wanted to know more about it,” Krone explained.
The organization reported gaining approximately 16,000 new scouts, representing less than 2% growth from the previous year, with total membership slightly exceeding 1 million.
