Secretary of War Pete Hegseth has set clear conditions for continued Department of War support to Scouting America, demanding the rollback of DEI policies and a return to traditional scouting priorities.

Secretary Hegseth announced that Scouting America, the organization once known as the Boy Scouts of America, will only keep receiving conditional support while it eliminates diversity, equity, and inclusion programs he views as divisive. The Department of War negotiated a memorandum of understanding that lays out concrete steps the organization must take to restore focus on character, leadership and traditional civic virtues. The agreement ties continued partnership to tangible changes like policy language revisions, program adjustments, and a six-month review period.

The secretary framed his decision around the long history of the scouting movement and its role producing civic leaders and responsible citizens. “For more than a century, Boy Scouts of America prepared over 130 million American boys to make moral and ethical choices, not just during their formative years, but for a lifetime as they grew into men,” Hegseth said.

“The Boy Scouts are embedded in our communities; they’re sponsored by community organizations, service clubs, and churches. Many Boy Scouts have gone on to senior leadership positions in their communities, in business, in our nation’s military, and as elected representatives in local, state, and national office. Six Boy Scouts have been elected Presidents of the United States,” Hegseth added. “11 of the 12 men to walk on the moon? Boy Scouts.”

“Boy Scout training focused on responsible citizenship, character and leadership development, patriotism, personal fitness, self-reliance, faith and a wide range of outdoor schools,” Hegseth said. He argued that recent shifts after 2012 moved the group away from those priorities and that the Department of War will not subsidize politics inside youth programs.

“After 2012, however, the Boy Scouts lost their way, and a once great organization became gravely wounded,” Hegseth continued. “Diversity, equity, and inclusion — DEI — crept in. The name was changed to Scouting America. Girls were accepted. The focus on God as the ruler of the universe was watered down to include openness to humanism and earth-centered pagan religions. Scouting became an organization that no longer supported and celebrated boys. They even welcomed the destructive myth of gender fluidity and transgenderism to infiltrate their membership.”

The secretary said his motivation for cutting ties with the scouts was linked to what he said are the organization’s violations of President Donald J. Trump’s Jan. 21, 2025, Executive Order 14173, titled “Ending Illegal Discrimination and Restoring Merit-Based Opportunity.” 

“But, before making this big change, I decided to meet with the current scouting leadership to convey our deep concerns,” Hegseth said, adding that Scouting America eventually agreed to several “key reforms” based on a series of ongoing conversations between Scouting America, himself and other senior War Department officials. 

Those reforms are outlined in a signed memorandum of understanding for partnership and policy alignment between the Pentagon and Scouting America that states Scouting America will ensure full adherence with the principles contained in Executive Order 14173.  

“This includes reviewing and replacing politicized, divisive and discriminatory language throughout the organization, programs and all publications. No more DEI. Zero,” Hegseth said. 

Scouting America has also agreed to discontinue its “citizenship in society” merit badge, which made it mandatory for those with the rank of Life Scout to “realize the benefits of diversity, equity, inclusion and ethical leadership,” prior to being allowed to advance to the rank of Eagle Scout, according to Scouting America’s official website.  

The memorandum also requires practical support for military families, including a fee waiver for children of active-duty, guard, and reserve members and the creation of a military service merit badge to honor service and sacrifice. These changes are presented as a trade: rollback of institutional DEI activities in exchange for restored War Department backing and targeted benefits to military families.

Hegseth said the agreement is not permanent until the War Department is satisfied with follow-through, and the organization will face a review in six months to determine whether departmental support continues. The review is meant to make sure policy language, publications, and programs actually align with the principles negotiated in the memorandum.

“Ideally, I believe the Boy Scouts should go back to being the Boy Scouts as originally founded: a group that develops boys into men,” Hegseth said near the end of his announcement. That line signals the administration’s goal of re-centering scouting on traditional mentorship, civic duty and rugged outdoor education rather than on social engineering initiatives.