Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth forces Scouting America to ditch woke DEI policies, restoring traditional values and securing Pentagon support in a major win for American families.
Story Highlights
- Hegseth announces MOU on February 27, 2026, eliminating DEI initiatives after threatening to cut DoD support.
- Scouting America reinstates sex-based membership, facilities, and addresses religious concerns per Trump’s Executive Order 14173.
- Military families gain fee waivers and a new merit badge, boosting recruitment ties.
- Reverses post-2012 changes like girls’ admission and “citizenship in society” badge, emphasizing “duty to God.”
Hegseth’s Firm Stance Secures Reforms
Pete Hegseth, U.S. Defense Secretary, announced on February 27, 2026, that the Department of Defense reached a memorandum of understanding with Scouting America. This agreement continues long-standing partnership after the organization committed to key reforms.
Hegseth had threatened to end Pentagon support, including personnel, equipment, and facilities, due to cultural shifts away from traditional values. The deal averts that cutoff while aligning Scouting with merit-based principles.
Key Reforms Restore Core Scouting Principles
Scouting America agreed to eliminate all diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives, removing DEI language from programs. The organization discontinued the “citizenship in society” merit badge that promoted diversity agendas.
Membership and facilities now reinstate sex-based distinctions, limiting options to male and female and segregating intimate spaces by biological sex. These changes address concerns over post-2012 policies that diluted the traditional “frontiersman ethos” and “duty to God” emphasis.
Trump’s Executive Order Drives Change
President Donald Trump’s January 2025 Executive Order 14173, “Ending Illegal Discrimination and Restoring Merit-Based Opportunity,” targeted DEI across federal partners. Hegseth enforced this through behind-the-scenes negotiations months prior to the announcement.
Scouting America, founded in 1910 to build leadership and character, had shifted with girls’ admission and non-binary policies. The MOU restores religious focus, countering those dilutions that Hegseth criticized as wounding the organization.
The Pentagon’s leverage proved decisive, as Scouting conceded to retain vital support for over one million military family youth members. Hegseth stated, “No more DEI. Zero,” underscoring the administration’s commitment.
Pentagon and Scouting America reach deal to keep ties after Hegseth's anti-DEI push https://t.co/xm7j32voyL
— ABC11 EyewitnessNews (@ABC11_WTVD) February 28, 2026
Benefits for Military Families and Recruitment
Military families receive fee waivers, easing access to Scouting programs. A new military and veterans merit badge launches soon, promoting service ethos and aiding DoD recruitment. Long-term, these reforms reinforce traditional gender norms and religious principles, potentially stabilizing membership declines.
The agreement sets a precedent for federal oversight of nonprofits, signaling the military’s firm anti-DEI stance under Trump.
Scouting America affirmed the “renewed partnership reinforces foundational ideas” like duty to God, country, and service. A DoD liaison ensures ongoing compliance per Joint Ethics Regulation.
This victory aligns youth development with conservative values of individual merit, family strength, and limited government overreach into traditional institutions.
Sources:
Hegseth, DoD Reach Agreement with Scouting America on These Key Reforms
Hegseth says Scouting America support to continue upon org’s commitment to drop
