One of the main advisors of the Secretary of Defense, Pete Hegseth, has recommended that the Defense Department reduce ties with Scouting America, known for decades as the Boy Scouts, saying that it is too “awakened” to support, according to several people familiar with discussions.
Tami Radabauch, an attached assistant of the Secretary of Defense for the Strategic Participation and Direct Advisor of Hegesh familiar. It is not clear where Hegseth and the people surrounding him on the subject are found.
Although the Pentagon has not yet decided whether to cut that relationship and if it would be a total cut of the ties or something more limited, as Hegseth is not involved, Radabaugh recommended that Hegseth does not participate in a video for the group due to the concern, and so far he has not done so, according to people familiar with discussions.
In a statement, Sean Parnell, the main spokesman of the Pentagon, said: “Secretary Hegseth and his public affairs team thoroughly review the associations and commitments to ensure that they are aligned with the president’s agenda and advance our mission.”
In May, when Boy Scouts of America announced that he would officially change his name to Scouting America, Hegseth denounced the organization in Fox News, blaming “the left” for allegedly wanting to destroy it.
“This is an institution that the left did not control. They did not want to improve it. They wanted to destroy it or dilute it in something that was not at anything. Then, five years ago, the boy scouts let the girls enter, which was basically the end of Boy Scouts,” he said at that time.
Hegseth said the government becomes more powerful when organizations and youth groups such as the boy scouts lose what they represent.
“This is a tragedy,” he said. “Young children will not have the opportunity to learn these skills, but most importantly, values. And they did themselves.”
The US army has supported the exploration for decades, according to Gordon Shattles, exploring the National Director of Corporate Communications of the United States. That includes allowing the organization to celebrate all its national jamboreados in Fort Ap Hill, now known as Fort Walker, from 1981 to 2010, after which the event was transferred to Bechtel Reserve, a new installation owned by Scouting America.
Shattles said the group has “a long and famous history of collaboration with the United States Army” and added that the “lasting relationship covers decades.”
Explorers attend US military academies every year, including more than 3,516 Eagle Scouts that have registered in the United States Military Academy West Point since 2003, according to the statistics provided by Scouting America. About 20% of this year’s graduation class at the United States Air Force Academy was in the Boy Scouts or in the Girls Scouts, and about 10% of the cadets had won the prestigious Eagle Scout Gold award, for extraordinary contributions to their communities, according to Scouting America.
Shattles said that the army supports the exploration every year by allowing its units to carry out meetings, camps and other activities in bases, by making military guards participate in ceremonies and exploration events, and participating or supporting national exploration events such as the Jamborees. He said that many military members of active and retired duty serve as explorers leaders and as advisors of Merit Badge, particularly for badges related to outdoor skills, citizenship and emergency preparation.
Shattles also reinforced that Scouting America does not receive funds from the Department of Defense or any other federal agency.
The scouts have also helped with military recruitment, according to two defense officials.
While the US Army Recruitment Command does not have an official affiliation with Scouting America, recruits that get ready with certain scouting awards, such as Eagle Scout certificates or Girl Scout Gold Awards, can enter the army with higher ranges after enlistment, according to a spokesman for the command.
And the Cadet Command of the US Army. “Performs marketing and recruitment activities with Scouting America to educate explorers and their parents on opportunities available in ROTC of the Army,” said the spokesman in an email.
The Western Virginia National Guard has supported the Jamboree in recent years and is expected to provide a military band and colors for the next meeting in 2026 in Bechtel reserve, according to a defense official and explore America.
Atitulad by Congress, the organization was known as Boy Scouts of America for more than 100 years until February, the month of its 115th anniversary, when the name officially became Scouting America. The name change is part of a greater effort to make the organization more inclusive that also included allowing girls to join. The organization had requested bankruptcy protection in 2020 after the demands of tens of thousands of survivors of sexual abuse, which led to a confidence of almost $ 2.5 billion to compensate for the victims.
President Donald Trump spoke at Jamboree on July 25, 2017, saying: “You are the young people of character, the integrity that will serve as leaders of our communities and defend the sacred values of our nation.”
“The United States does not have better citizens than their boy scouts,” he told the crowd, adding: “Explorers believe in putting the United States first.” He also noted that 10 members of his cabinet had been explorers.
Radabauch, who advises Hegesh about the commitment of the Department of Defense with External Groups, is a former Fox News Channel and Fox Business Channel producer, according to his LinkedIn profile, including a period in “Fox & Friends”, the morning program whose weekend edition Hegseth was coanferrion before becoming secretary of defense.
