Pentagon ends Harvard military education, citing ‘woke’ influence | Effective 2026-27

Washington: The Pentagon has announced it will cut all academic ties with Harvard University, ending military education, fellowships and certificate programmes, according to a statement issued on Friday.

The move is the latest escalation in the Trump administration’s ongoing dispute with the Ivy League institution over what officials describe as “woke” ideology.

Why this move now?

“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,” he added.

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The Pentagon said the severance of ties would begin in the 2026–2027 academic year, although military personnel already enrolled would be allowed to complete their studies.

In a separate post on X, Hegseth, who uses the term “War Department” for the Department of Defense, wrote: “Harvard is woke; The War Department is not.”

He said the Pentagon would also 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 said.

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Hegseth is himself an Ivy Leaguer, having graduated from both Princeton and Harvard, though he reportedly returned his degree to the latter institution. The former Fox News host has previously criticised Harvard on air for what he describes as its left-leaning policies.

The announcement comes after President Donald Trump said on Monday that his administration would seek $1 billion in damages from Harvard following a New York Times report that the college had secured 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 prompted concern from some academics, including Harvard’s former president, about potential threats to academic freedom.

Trump has previously sought to cut more than $2.6 billion in funding to Harvard, and has also moved to restrict entry for international students, who make up a quarter of the university’s student body.