Boy Scouts to end ‘woke’ diversity, equity and inclusion policies, says Hegseth

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced the Pentagon will continue support for Scouting America (Scouts) after the group committed to removing all diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives.

“These, and other changes that Scouting America’s leadership committed to will hopefully result in a rededication to the foundational ideals that have defined scouting for generations: duty to God and country, leadership, character and service,” said Hegseth in a video released Friday.

The move marks a clear victory for traditional values advocates who have long criticized “woke culture” encroaching on one of America’s oldest youth institutions.

Hegseth explained he had been seriously contemplating the end of all logistical and personnel support the Department of War has provided to the Scouts for decades, including access to government facilities, equipment and personnel worldwide.

Hegseth said the organization had previously “lost its way” after adopting leftist gender policies, broad interpretations of inclusivity that included “openness to humanism and Earth-centered pagan religions.”

“After 2012, the Boy Scouts lost their way, and a once-great organization became gravely wounded,” he said, singling out DEI programs, the name change to Scouting America and expanded membership policies that have weakened its traditional mission.

In its original mission statement from 1910, the Boy Scouts spelled out a specific obligation to God for members, for example.

The 1916 U.S. charter said the purpose of the organization was to also encourage the “ability of boys to do things for themselves and others, to train them in scoutcraft, and to teach them patriotism, courage, self-reliance.”

Under a 2025 executive order issued by President Donald Trump, the Pentagon has taken a firm stance against federal support for organizations that embrace politicized and discriminatory language the Scouts have adopted recently, said the war secretary.

But now, thanks to a newly signed memorandum of understanding (MOU) between the Pentagon and the Scouts, the youth group agreed to eliminate all DEI language from its official literature, programs and merit badges.

That includes ending the “citizenship in society” badge, which Scouting America had tied to mandatory diversity and inclusion training before advancing to Eagle Scout.

The “society” badge requires scouts to go through various hypothetical scenarios regarding situations that involve making affirmative DEI statements. It’s similar to the practice of some colleges and universities that require affirmation of DEI statements in applications for admissions.

New policies in the MOU will reaffirm biological sex distinctions in both definition and practice.

“Accordingly, Scouting America membership applications will continue to only provide ‘male’ and ‘female’ as sex designations. Scouting America will enact a policy that indicates that biological boys and biological girls will not be permitted to share intimate spaces, including toilets, showers and tents,” said the MOU, according to the Pentagon.

The organization has also agreed to implement reforms such as waiving registration fees for children of active-duty, reserve and National Guard families.

The Scouts will also introduce a “military service” merit badge to honor service and strengthen recruitment ties to the armed forces.

A Pentagon-appointed liaison will maintain ongoing coordination, reinforcing a return to the “frontiersman ethos” that historically prepared young Americans for service to the country.

In exchange for these changes and sustained progress in implementing them, Scouting America will remain eligible for logistical cooperation, including continued access to military installations for events like the annual National Jamboree, a several-day camping event.

Under a 1972 law, the Pentagon may supply the Scouts with “cots, blankets, commissary equipment, flags, refrigerators, and other equipment and without reimbursement, furnish services and expendable medical supplies” for the Jamboree.

But it is under no obligation to furnish such supplies and services.

Hegseth stressed that the agreement is contingent on the commitment to the agreed reforms. Compliance by the Scouts will be periodically reviewed by the Pentagon.