Pentagon cuts ties with Harvard over ‘wokeness’

The Pentagon is cutting all professional education ties with Harvard, saying the university pushes ‘wokeness’, tolerates anti-Jewish harassment, and works with Chinese-linked research, US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has announced.

In a statement on Friday, Hegseth said the department is “formally ending ALL Professional Military Education, fellowships, and certificate programs with Harvard University,” calling the decision “long overdue.”

“Harvard is woke; The War Department is not,” he added.

Hegseth said that in the past, the Pentagon sent “our best and brightest officers” to Harvard in hopes that the university would better understand “our warrior class.” However, “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 claimed.

Hegseth also accused Harvard of creating a climate that “celebrated Hamas,” “allowed attacks on Jews,” and still “promotes discrimination based on race.” He alleged that “campus research programs have partnered with the Chinese Communist Party,” adding that similar relationships with other schools will be reviewed.

The Pentagon said the cutoff starts with the 2026-27 school year; currently enrolled personnel can finish their courses.

The administration of US President Donald Trump has long sparred with Harvard as the university resisted its demands to overhaul its admissions and governance policies, as well as improving campus discipline following pro-Palestinian protests sparked by the Hamas-Israel war and unprecedented devastation in Gaza.

The administration attempted to freeze Harvard’s federal funding, though in September 2025, a federal judge struck down the decision, arguing that it overstepped its authority and that the allegations of anti-Semitism were used as a “smokescreen.”

Trump has since intensified the pressure, saying earlier this month that he would seek $1 billion in damages from Harvard over the allegations of anti-Semitism.

Harvard President Alan Garber has rejected the accusations as political intimidation, saying, “the university will not surrender its independence or relinquish its constitutional rights.” He added that Harvard has always sought to fight anti-Semitism, calling this a “moral imperative.”