Hegseth Threatens to Cut Scouts’ Funding Over “Woke” Policies | Command Post
Bulwark Takes
The Bulwark
4.7 • 1.2K Ratings
🗓️ 5 February 2026
⏱️ 26 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
In this edition of Command Post, Lt. Gen. Mark Hertling (Ret.) joins Ben Parker to break down the surprising clash between the Department of Defense and Scouting America (formerly Boy Scouts). Secretary Hegseth is threatening to cut support for Scouting America over DEI policies and integrated troops, but is this really what the Pentagon should be focusing on? Hertling explains why the Scouts’ values like honor, service, and leadership align with military priorities, and why Hegseth’s fight seems out of touch.
We also also viewer questions questions about Iranian drone threats to U.S. carriers, Canadian-American military cooperation & NORAD, and maintaining global alliances despite political turbulence.
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Hi, I'm Ben Parker from the Bulwark. |
| 0:01.6 | And hi, I'm Mark Hurtling. |
| 0:02.6 | This is your command post edition of Bullwork Takes. |
| 0:06.1 | I'm a retired lieutenant general, and we talk all things military during the next |
| 0:10.2 | couple of minutes of this session. |
| 0:12.4 | Yeah, normally we do stick pretty close to military topics. |
| 0:17.0 | But today, we're going to be talking about something a little bit different, something I know is very near and dear to your heart, which is what used to be called the Boy Scouts is now Scouting America. |
| 0:27.7 | We're talking just so people are aware on the afternoon of February 4th. |
| 0:32.0 | And it does have a military angle because right now the Defense Department is getting into a big argument with scouting |
| 0:40.4 | America. So let's just set the stage and say what's going on. Yeah, the Department of War is |
| 0:47.9 | starting a little bit of kerfuffle with a organization that I'm proud to say I was a part of for many years, and we'll talk about that. |
| 0:56.6 | But, you know, they've been threatening to cut off the scouting USA's support for something that's known as the national jamboree. |
| 1:06.7 | And it's because Secretary Hegseth and his spokesperson, Sean Parnell, has said that they're not, the scouts writ large, are not applying to the Trump administration's view of DEI, diversity, equity, and inclusion. |
| 1:21.9 | This is fascinating. And it will not surprise people to hear that, um, you have written previously about |
| 1:30.9 | some of the Trump administrations and Secretary Hankseth's remarks and policies about what kinds of |
| 1:37.3 | people serve in the military, what kinds of people he wants to see in the military. And, um, |
| 1:42.5 | it's, uh, it's, it's, it's honestly, kind of hard to believe that seeing the kind of |
| 1:47.8 | inclusion that formerly Boy Scouts now, Scouting America has had, is going to make them cut off |
| 1:53.8 | the Department of Defense's funding for the national jamboree or the support for the national |
| 1:59.0 | jamboree. You mentioned Sean Parnell, the spokesman for the Department of Defense. |
| 2:03.6 | He had the social media post all about this. |
| 2:06.4 | What is it that he said? |
... |
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