(NewsNation) — Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is planning for the U.S. military to cut ties with Scouting America, formerly the Boy Scouts, according to a draft memo to Congress reviewed by NPR.
In the draft, Hegseth alleged the organization has transformed into one designed to “attack boy-friendly spaces,” NPR first reported. He reportedly slammed the organization for failing to cultivate “masculine values” and for promoting diversity, equity and inclusion.
Several shifts in scouting policy have come about in recent years. In 2018, the organization allowed girls to join its titular program, just three years after permitting openly gay adults to hold leadership.
In 2024, the Boy Scouts rebranded to the gender neutral Scouting America. That change, the organization wrote, was meant to “welcome every youth and family in America to experience the benefits of Scouting.”
Scouting America has existed for 115 years, and the U.S. military has supported it for more than a century. The Pentagon is legally required to provide medical and logistical aid at its National Jamboree, the organization’s major membership gathering in West Virginia, held every few years.
Scouting America addressed Hegseth’s move in a statement issued Tuesday.
“The Scouting movement has had a strong relationship with our nation’s military going back more than a century,” according to the group. “From the tremendous support of the West Virginia National Guard at our National Jamborees to Scout troops that provide stability for the children of military families deployed around the globe, our nation’s military has walked side-by-side with Scouts for generations.”
Hegseth’s memo would stop that aid and prohibit Scout troops from meeting at U.S. military installations both domestically and abroad.
The draft argues that allowing troops, doctors and supplies to attend the 10-day event in 2026 would be harmful to national security.
In September, President Donald Trump signed an executive order to restore the name “Department of War” for the Defense Department. The name serves as a secondary title for the agency, according to a White House fact sheet.
Earlier this year, the Pentagon purged military heroes, historic mentions and entire pages from its online presence amid pushes from Trump to strip diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives from the government.
When asked about the memo, a Pentagon official told NewsNation, “The Department will not comment on leaked documents that we cannot authenticate and that may be pre-decisional.”
NewsNation’s Kellie Meyer contributed to this report.