Proposed Military Break With Scouts Over 'Boy-Friendly Spaces' Could Affect Thousands Of CA Scouts

A longstanding partnership between the U.S. military and Scouting America may soon be severed.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is reportedly moving to cut ties, arguing the group, once known as the Boy Scouts, has abandoned its meritocratic roots and now seeks to “attack boy-friendly spaces,” NPR reported.

On Tuesday, Scouting America — formerly known as the Boy Scouts — pushed back on the move, which would affect more than a million Scout families nationwide. In California, there are tens of thousands of Scouts, among the most of any state nationwide.

According to NPR, the draft memo, which has not yet been sent to Congress, indicates that the Secretary of War plans to end military support for Scouting programs on bases in the U.S. and overseas, halt assistance for the National Jamboree, and eliminate enlistment pay-grade boosts traditionally offered to Eagle Scouts who join the military.

Several military bases in California host Scouting activities, including Vandenberg Space Force Base, Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center Twentynine Palms, Camp Pendleton and more. Veterans groups such as the American Legion often donate meeting space to the Scouts. In turn, Scouts take on volunteer opportunities honoring the military, including serving holiday meals to vets, placing flags on the graves of service members, and properly retiring American flags.

Patch has reached out to Camp Pendleton for comment.

In a statement released Tuesday, Scouting America said it was “surprised and deeply saddened” by the reported proposal, noting that its relationship with the U.S. military is more than a century old. The organization emphasized that Scouts have long worked alongside service members and that many military academy students and enlistees have Scouting backgrounds.

The draft memo, NPR reported, argues that Scouting is “no longer a meritocracy” and does not hold members to high standards. Scouting America rejected that characterization, writing that “badges and ranks are not given, they are earned,” and that young people in the program “thrive in Scouting.”

The organization also stressed its nonpartisan mission, saying it has worked with every presidential administration for more than 100 years. Scouting America said it plans to engage with Pentagon officials to address the issue and encouraged families to contact their members of Congress.

“The Scouting movement has had a strong relationship with our nation’s military going back more than a century,” the statement said. “Scouting will never turn its back on the children of our military families.”

The Pentagon has not commented publicly on the draft memo.

Hegseth never participated in the Boy Scouts growing up. It has been reported that during his time as a Fox News host, he complained about the Scouts allowing girls to join in 2018. The Boy Scouts officially became Scouting America in February, marking the fifth anniversary of allowing girls to join. Today, there are nearly 200,000 girls in Scouting America.

The change followed a series of more inclusive shifts over the last 11 years when the Boy Scouts of America allowed gay youths to join in 2014 and lifted the ban on openly gay adults a year later.

"The Boy Scouts has been cratering itself for quite some time," Hegseth said, according to NPR. "This is an institution the left didn't control. They didn't want to improve it. They wanted to destroy it or dilute it into something that stood for nothing."

Hegseth has issued similar complaints about the United States military, decrying a shift toward the "woke" and "effeminate." Last month, he address top military leaders, and vowed to return combat fitness requirements to the “returns to the highest male standard.”

Roger Krone, President and CEO of Scouting America, rebutted Hegseth's characterization of Scouting.

"This view is clearly uninformed," he wrote in a statement that went to every Scouting family Tuesday. "Badges and ranks are not given, they are earned. Just ask any Eagle Scout. Young men and young women alike thrive in Scouting. Scouts wear an American flag on their sleeves and swear a duty to God and country. Scouting isn’t something we do. It’s something we are.

"Scouting will never turn its back on the children of our military families. Just as we always have, Scouts will continue to put duty to country above duty to self and will remain focused on serving all American families in the U.S. and abroad."

He called on Scout families to write Congress members to decry the proposed withdrawal of support for Scouting.

Back in April, NBC reported that the Pentagon was considering splitting from Scouting America.

"Secretary Hegseth and his Public Affairs team thoroughly review partnerships and engagements to ensure they align with the President's agenda and advance our mission," Sean Parnell, the Pentagon's chief spokesman told NBC.

For Kenny Green, a retired Army staff sergeant and parent of three Scouts, the news is troubling. Because of his military service, he told NPR, his family moved frequently, but at every base, there was always a Scout troop that helped ease the transition.

"We went from Louisiana to Alaska. From Alaska to Germany. From Germany to Texas," he said. "We don't have to say a word to them, let them go see the other kids, and they'll be immediately integrated in."