The Department of Defense declared on Friday its intention to sever all educational and fellowship ties with Harvard University, discontinuing military training programs and partnerships with the Ivy League institution. This move signals a continuation of the ongoing friction between the current administration and Harvard regarding demands for institutional reforms.
In an official statement, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth articulated that Harvard "no longer meets the needs of the War Department or the military services." He elaborated that the department had historically sent top military officers to Harvard with the hope that the university would cultivate a greater understanding and appreciation of military culture. Instead, he observed that numerous military officers returned imbued with "globalist and radical ideologies" that, according to him, fail to enhance the effectiveness of military ranks.
Expanding on these views, Hegseth expressed on the social media platform X that "Harvard is woke; The War Department is not."
The termination of graduate-level professional military education, fellowships, and certificate programs with Harvard will take effect beginning with the 2026-27 academic year, as outlined in the Pentagon's statement. Military personnel currently enrolled in programs at Harvard will be permitted to complete their existing courses.
Military officers have access to a variety of graduate-level educational opportunities, including those provided by military-run war colleges as well as prestigious civilian institutions such as Harvard. While civilian education opportunities may offer less direct advancement for a servicemember’s military career compared to military-specific programs, they enhance the employability of military personnel after their service.
Harvard has been a focal point of criticism by the current administration, which has taken measures including significant reductions in federal research funding and attempts to restrict the university's enrollment of foreign students. These actions arose after Harvard declined several government requests in the previous year.
The administration has stated that these measures are in response to the university's perceived tolerance of anti-Jewish discrimination on campus.