cross-posted from: https://lemmy.today/post/42453153
Congress requires the Pentagon to support the scouting program’s Jamboree, a gathering of thousands of young scouts held every three or four years. The U.S. military lends trucks, ambulances and medical teams, and puts on aviation and skydiving demonstrations, all at no cost to the Scouts. For the military, it’s both a training exercise and an opportunity to recruit highly motivated, civic-minded kids.
But the law includes an exemption: the Secretary of Defense can withhold support if he determines providing it would be “detrimental to national security.”
Drafts of a report to Congress obtained by NPR show Hegseth invoking that clause — accusing Scouting America of fostering “gender confusion.”
His memo to the House and Senate Armed Services committees argues the Scouts have strayed from their mission to “cultivate masculine values.” It also claims that with international conflicts and a tight budget, sending troops, doctors and vehicles to a 10-day youth event would harm national security by diverting resources from border operations and protecting U.S. territory.
On one hand, Jambo (and more) will be much more expensive for Scouting National. On the other, the military loses what I assume is a pretty decent recruiting avenue. I’m an eagle scout, and you encounter a LOT of military and religious propaganda, even though I was a part of a troop that didn’t care for any of that. It was a pretty excellent experience for me, and I made many lifelong friends, but we all wish that Scouts had let girls join a long time ago. We didn’t need yet another ‘boy-friendly space’, but building friendships, having experiences with members of the opposite sex from a young age could have been very helpful for many of the boys in our troop. Even more importantly, the separation of Girl and Boy Scouts often times (not always) led to each organization preferring ‘gender appropriate’ activities. There’s nothing inherently male about fun outdoor activities, and there’s nothing inherently female about arts and crafts and learning to sew. Both Boys and Girls can benefit greatly from these practical skills and fun outdoor time. Times are rightfully changing, and this administration is clinging to traditional values like they mean anything at all.