The United States Department of Defense, the Pentagon, has announced that it is severing all academic ties with Harvard University. As a result, long-standing programs involving military education, fellowships, and certificate courses conducted in partnership with the university will come to an end. The decision was announced in an official statement issued by the Pentagon on Friday, according to AFP.
The move comes amid growing tensions between the Trump administration and Harvard, an Ivy League institution accused by the administration of promoting what it describes as “woke” or ultra-liberal ideology. This ideological dispute is widely seen as the backdrop to the Pentagon’s tough stance.
US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth addressed the issue in a statement, saying, “For many years, the Pentagon sent some of our best and brightest officers to Harvard. We expected the university to understand and respect the value and importance of our combat-ready soldiers.”
Expressing dissatisfaction, Hegseth added, “Instead, we have seen many of our officers return influenced by globalist and extreme ideologies. These ideas do nothing to strengthen the warfighting capability of our armed forces.”
According to the Pentagon, the decision will take effect from the 2026–27 academic year. However, military officers who are currently enrolled at Harvard will be allowed to complete their ongoing courses.
Later, in a post on social media platform X (formerly Twitter), Hegseth wrote, “Harvard may be ‘woke,’ but the Department of War—the Pentagon—is not.”
He also indicated that the Pentagon will review its academic relationships with other Ivy League universities. The goal, he said, is to assess whether these institutions provide education that is cost-effective and of higher quality compared to public universities or the Pentagon’s own military graduate programs, particularly for future senior officers.
Notably, Pete Hegseth himself is an Ivy League graduate, having earned degrees from both Princeton University and Harvard University. Media reports suggest that he once returned his Harvard degree. The former Fox News host has long been a vocal critic of what he describes as Harvard’s left-leaning policies.
Officials from the Trump administration have also accused Harvard and other universities of failing to protect Jewish students during pro-Palestinian protests on campus. Based on these allegations, the administration has threatened legal action and substantial financial penalties.
Many academics, including a former president of Harvard University, have expressed concern that such pressure from the Trump administration could undermine academic freedom across US universities.
Previously, President Donald Trump attempted to cut more than $2.6 billion in federal funding allocated to Harvard. He has also moved to impose stricter controls on the admission of foreign students, who currently make up nearly one-quarter of Harvard’s total student body.
