Scouting America, the Texas-based national organization founded as the Boy Scouts of America, is working to shed claims it has gone “woke” in recent years as it renews its focus on training young people with life skills, providing fun and educational outdoor experiences and revitalizing its partnership with the U.S. military.

Since its inception by Lt. Gen. Robert Baden-Powell in February 1910, what is now Scouting America has remained dedicated to providing the key life tenets of faith, character and service to young people, as in one example it eliminated an otherwise recently conceived “DEI” merit badge and replaced it with a military-centric one.

Chief Scout Executive Roger Krone told Fox News Digital that scouts have been central to key moments in history, a testament to the program’s values, importance and longevity.

“In fact, I think all but one of the men that walked on the moon were Scouts. There is [also] a tendency for a certain percentage of membership to want to trade their Scout uniforms for military uniforms: we have a long tradition with the military,” Krone said.

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OA National Chief Joshua Nero, right, presents Speaker Mike Johnson, left, with the Scouting America Report to the Nation. (Courtesy: Scouting America)

In 1915, professional scouter E. Urner Goodman founded Scouting America’s own honor society, the Order of the Arrow, at Treasure Island Scout Reservation in the middle of the Delaware River to recognize scouters who excel in their life of service.

John F. Kennedy was the first scout president, and Gerald Ford is the only one to date who has earned Eagle Scout. President Jimmy Carter, though never a scout, earned the BSA’s Silver Buffalo Award for service to Georgia scouts.

As part of its reaffirmation of American values, Scouting America will waive registration fees for military families’ children and participate in the America250 program.

“Just as it has for 116 years, Scouting America is dedicated to shaping patriotic Americans grounded in faith, character and service,” Krone said. “Our relationship with the United States Military reflects a shared belief that leadership, service, and love of country are not abstract ideals—they are values forged through action, discipline, and commitment. The Scouting program is uniquely positioned to instill these values in our future leaders.”

Fifteen percent of military academy cadets are Eagle Scouts, and more than 130 million Americans have been trained by the Boy Scouts since 1910.

He noted that Baden-Powell, a British military hero, conceived the idea in the wake of the Industrial Revolution to instill merit and values in wayward children in London.

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Scouts march in a parade for Gov. Abigail Spanberger. (Al Drago/Getty Images)

“There were kids in London that were getting in trouble because they had too much time on their hands. And so we started using these military tactics, learning how to track animals and using compasses and these things, to keep kids occupied they go on camp out some things like that. And that was the birth of the scouting program. So we have a proud tradition with the military.”

Scouts continue wearing the American flag on their Class-A uniforms from their time as Cub Scouts through earning Eagle, and, as Krone noted, their meetings also begin with the Pledge of Allegiance and the Scout Oath, which include pledges to honor God, country and law.

“There’s a deep connection between what we teach with character and leadership … to the military so it’s probably just natural.”

Krone pushed back on Scouting America being called woke, noting that about 70 percent of sponsoring organizations are churches. The Catholic Church is said to be the largest holder of unit charters, Krone said, while across the country other houses of worship, from Methodist to Episcopal to the United Church of Christ, sponsor troops.

“We are a very faith-based, faith-driven organization, very patriotic, we love God and country and so yeah, we strive very hard to be apolitical these days.”

Scouting received blowback for allowing girls to join in the past decade. Krone said that Scouting remains a meritocracy and rank requirements aren’t changed by gender.

“Whether you’re a young man in a program or a young woman in a program, you do the same exact thing. And it all is about using the outdoors as a classroom where you learn leadership and grit and resilience and you put the ideals of Scout … to practice in the outdoors and it is an amazing teacher. It’s an amazing program.”

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Julian Holkenborg of Boy Scout Troop 642 salutes after planting a flag at the Los Angeles National Cemetery in Westwood, Calif., on May 24, 2025, ahead of Memorial Day. He was among 3,500 Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts who planted 90,000 flags for the ceremony. (Myung J. Chun/Los Angeles Times)

The Scouting program also takes kids away from their screens and away from potentially “woke” influences online and reconnects them with serving their community and working or camping outdoors.

“We know one of the challenges I think our kids in our country face today is that they’re glued to the devices, they’re indoors or on a couch,” Krone said.

“And I think there’s a lot of authors out there have written about the fact that it’s toxic, right? We’ve got to get kids back outdoors and get them off devices, you know, moving around. “We say it’s ‘social without the media’.”

Scouting America’s youth leaders recently visited Capitol Hill, where they met with congressional leaders who included scouters among them.

“Great day with [the] Boy Scouts. I enjoyed meeting Ricky Mason, Chair of the Scouts Executive Board, and outstanding young leader Joshua Nero, Chief of the Order of the Arrow (the highest ranked Scout), and taking him to meet Speaker Mike Johnson,” Rep. Michael Baumgartner, R-Wash., said in a statement.

“Scouts is a great program and more parents should get their kids off of their phones and out into the wilderness learning life skills and confidence with Scouting for America.”

Boy Scouts attend the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, Wis., on July 17, 2024. (Robert Gauthier/Los Angeles Times)

The Hill also hosts its own Congressional Scouting Caucus led by Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La., and Reps. Glenn “GT” Thompson, R-Pa., and Sanford Bishop, D-Ga.

To be awarded the Eagle Scout rank, a scout must earn at least 21 merit badges, including 10 from a specific list that includes three “Citizenship” badges — Community, Nation and World — through which they learn civics and about America’s founding principles and are required to write their congressman or senator about an issue important to them.

Other required skills include Personal Management, First Aid, Swimming, Cycling or Hiking, Family Life and Environmental Science. Most scouts earn many more than required.

The Scout Law, which all scouts agree to, hosts 12 tenets for daily life:

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“Trustworthy; Loyal; Helpful; Friendly; Courteous; Kind; Obedient; Cheerful; Thrifty; Brave; Clean; Reverent.”

Scouting’s motto remains “Do a Good Turn Daily,” and it is most recognized by its 116-year-old slogan: “Be Prepared.”

Every day, families across this country are losing loved ones to fentanyl. This is not just a public safety crisis. It is not just a public health emergency. It is something far more dangerous. It is a national security threat.

As attorneys general, we see the devastation up close. In my home state of South Carolina, fentanyl was responsible for more than 70% of overdose deaths in 2023. 

I’ve prosecuted cases where a single operation brought enough fentanyl into our state to kill half a million people. These are not isolated incidents. They are part of a coordinated, global pipeline designed to profit from American lives. And if we are serious about stopping it, we must be honest about what is fueling it.

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The fentanyl epidemic is propped up by a massive money laundering network, moving an estimated $100 million every single week. That money is the oxygen that keeps this crisis alive. It allows cartels to expand operations, flood our communities with poison and evade law enforcement.

A key part of that network runs through China-based technology platforms.

We cannot allow foreign adversaries to use technology and financial networks as weapons against our people. We must demand accountability.

Apps like WeChat and its Chinese counterpart, Weixin, have been used to facilitate the transfer and laundering of drug money tied directly to fentanyl trafficking. These encrypted platforms create a black box that shields criminal activity from American law enforcement.

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Over the past year, a bipartisan coalition of attorneys general, led by North Carolina Attorney General Jeff Jackson and me, has worked to confront this problem head-on. We pushed WeChat to cooperate with law enforcement, and we secured real progress, including faster response times and stronger monitoring tools.

However, WeChat’s China-based sister app, Weixin, still operates under Chinese data privacy laws and does not adequately respond to U.S. law enforcement requests. 

Since many of the money brokers facilitating these transactions are based in China, closing that gap is an immediate national security priority. Without this information, law enforcement can’t dismantle the international drug organizations that are peddling poison into the United States. That’s why this week, a coalition of attorneys general sent a letter to President Trump, asking him and the federal government to work with their Chinese counterparts to stop the flow of fentanyl trafficking.

President Donald Trump has long understood the scope of this crisis. During his first term, he took decisive action to confront China’s role in the fentanyl pipeline and made clear that protecting American lives must come first. He recognized that this is not just about drugs. It is about foreign actors exploiting our systems to weaken our country.

We need that same strength and clarity now.

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In modern times, our enemies rarely engage us through conventional warfare, where they meet us on the battlefield wearing uniforms. Instead, they engage in what we call gray-zone warfare. They use proxy networks, technology, financial systems and cyber warfare to attack or weaken the United States. The fentanyl crisis is a textbook example.

Chinese labs produce precursor chemicals. Mexican cartels manufacture and distribute the drugs. And digital platforms help move the money. Together, they form a system that is killing Americans every single day.

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This is not accidental. It is strategic.

We cannot allow foreign adversaries to use technology and financial networks as weapons against our people. We must demand accountability. We must strengthen enforcement. And we must bring every tool of our national power to bear, from law enforcement to diplomacy.

This fight is personal for me, as it is for so many Americans. I have seen the toll this crisis takes on families, communities and the future of our country.

If we do not act decisively, more lives will be lost. More families will be shattered.

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But if we confront this threat with the seriousness it demands, if we go after the money, the networks and the foreign actors enabling it, we can turn the tide.

The American people and South Carolina families deserve nothing less.