The Pentagon will cut all academic ties with Harvard University, ending military education, fellowships and certificate programmes, it announced in a statement on Saturday.
The move is the latest in the Trump administration’s campaign against Harvard over claims that the Ivy League institution promotes “woke” ideology.
“For too long, this department has sent our best and brightest officers to Harvard, hoping the university would better understand and appreciate our warrior class,” Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth said in the statement.
“Instead, too many of our officers came back looking too much like Harvard — heads full of globalist and radical ideologies that do not improve our fighting ranks.”
The Pentagon said the severance of ties would begin in the 2026–2027 academic year, although military personnel already attending classes will be allowed to complete their studies.
In a separate post on X using his preferred term for the Department of Defence, Hegseth wrote, “Harvard is woke; the War Department is not.”
Hegseth said the Pentagon would review its links with all Ivy League colleges for military training and education.
“The goal is to determine whether or not they actually deliver cost-effective strategic education for future senior leaders when compared to, say, public universities and our military graduate programmes,” he added.
Hegseth, himself an Ivy Leaguer with degrees from both Princeton and Harvard, reportedly returned his Harvard degree. The former Fox News host has previously criticised the university for its allegedly left-leaning policies.
President Donald Trump said on Monday that his administration would seek $1 billion in damages from Harvard after a New York Times report indicated the college had won some concessions in ongoing settlement negotiations with the government.
Trump administration officials have accused Harvard and other universities of failing to adequately protect Jewish students during pro-Palestinian protests, filing legal complaints and demanding substantial payouts.
The administration’s pressure on universities has sparked concern among academics, including Harvard’s former president, over the potential erosion of academic freedom.
Trump has previously attempted to cut more than $2.6 billion in funding to Harvard and moved to block the entry of international students, who make up around a quarter of its student body.
