Leaked Memo Reveals US Officials Considering Ending 100-Year Partnership with Scouting America

NOTE: Ian Murphy is an Eagle Scout

According to a memo leaked to NPR, Secretary of War Pete Hegseth plans to instruct Congress to cut off a more than 100-year connection with Scouting America, formerly the Boy Scouts of America.

The decision comes from Hegseth’s belief that the organization “no longer supports the future of American boys,” according to the memo.

Congressional approval is required for the Pentagon to cease supporting Scouting America’s National Jamboree, but Hegseth may be able to override this rule if he can successfully argue that the support is a threat to national security.

Scouts have actively supported the U.S. government for over 100 years, receiving an official charter from the government in 1916.

Since the inauguration of President Woodrow Wilson, scouts have served a ceremonial capacity in every U.S. presidential inauguration. In 1937, the military formalized support for scouts during the first National Jamboree in Washington, D.C.

Today, jamborees occur at the Summit Bechtel Reserve in West Virginia and feature various activities, event security, and operations assistance from the National Guard.

Scouting America released a statement in response to the leaked memo noting they were “surprised and deeply saddened” by the news. They stated they “will never turn its back on the children of our military families.”

Scouts in the Chicagoland area broadly disagree with the pending decision in the memo.

“Broadly, I think it’s a bad idea,” said Ryan Predki, a senior at Elmhurst University, an Eagle Scout, and Vigil, the highest rank in the Order of the Arrow, scouting’s honor society.

“One of the main draws of scouting is that scouting doesn’t turn anyone away,” Predki continued. “They’re misinterpreting the opportunity for all youth to learn and grow as ‘woke’ or as detrimental.”

Amelia Giese, a female Eagle Scout and counselor at Camp Ma-Ka-Ja-Wan, agrees.

“It’s definitely made me feel really discouraged,” said Giese. “It’s a relationship that’s so old and has lasted for such a long time. It just seems goofy.”

Giese, while unhappy with the decision, was not necessarily surprised by it, saying, “It seems like a stunt that this administration would pull.”

The Trump administration, while avoiding explicit statements against Scouting America, has indicated a lack of support for the program. Notably, beginning with Donald Trump’s inauguration was a refusal to sign off on new Eagle Scouts, as the president serves as the honorary chair of the organization.

Thousands of new Eagle Scouts in 2025 have been unable to receive official Eagle Scout certificates or membership cards. The scouts are still permitted to hold court of honor ceremonies and wear Eagle Scout rank badges.

The leaked documents from Hegseth also claim a belief that Scouting America aims to “attack boy-friendly spaces” and the organization has ceased cultivating “masculine values.”

Scouting America has not been explicitly about “masculine values” since its chartering in 1916. The original organization’s purpose, according to its charter, was to promote “the ability of boys to do things for themselves and others.”

Predki noted this, as well as Scouting America’s current mission statement, which prioritizes values-based education and support of the Scout Oath and Law.

“It was never being about men or being masculine, it was about making moral and ethical decisions,” said Predki.

Eric Lynch is a former assistant Scoutmaster and committee chair for Troop 87, based in Lindenhurst, Ill.. He agrees with both Predki and Giese, noting how scouting has, in his experience, been about growing personal abilities.

“When I think of my scouting experience, and my experience being a scouting troopmaster, it has been less about ‘I’m a big burly men,’” said Lynch. “I think it’s a capability thing, not a gender thing.”

“I’m not a historian, but if we go back and look at Baden-Powell and Baden-Powell’s rulebooks, it would be more about developing skills,” said Lynch.

Robert Baden-Powell was the founder of The Boy Scouts Association in Britain, the organization that inspired W. D. Boyce to found what would become Scouting America. Baden-Powell is also widely credited with popularizing scouting as an international program.

When considering the future of scouting, if Hegseth does end support for Scouting America, scouts believe the national organization will continue to support their interests.

“I think they’re going to do what’s right and continue to foster the program,” said Predki. “Those are benefits and opportunities that aren’t necessarily tied to the larger whole of scouting.”

Giese agrees, “[The U.S. government is] scared that this boys club they’re having is going to lose at the end of the day to diversity and inclusion, to DEI.”

Giese said that Scouting America’s openness to members of all gender identities is something that isn’t likely to change due to the potential reliance the organization has on their dues payments.

“I don’t think they can afford to roll back any of these programs or like, saying, ‘Women are not allowed in anymore,’” said Giese.

Ron Wentzell, the scout executive and CEO of Three Fires Council — the council overseeing troops in close Chicago suburbs, including Elmhurst — agrees with Scouting America’s statement.

“This is a misunderstanding and I still feel we will work out a path forward,” Wentzell stated.

Much like the national organization, Wentzell elaborated, “The Three Fires Council locally will continue our tradition of supporting the military and veterans regardless of any decisions from the Pentagon.”

Predki said, “Scouting has shaped me into who I am. A lot of my leadership skills, a lot of values. Scouting was the reason I came to EU. I wanted to stay involved in the program.”

Correction: In the print version of this story, Amelia Giese’s first name was misprinted as Amanda. The Leader deeply regrets this error.