‘Harvard is woke, we’re not’: Hegseth Says Pentagon Will Sever Academic Ties With Harvard

(LibertystarTribune.com) – Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth just severed the Pentagon’s ties with Harvard University, declaring America’s military will no longer send officers to an institution he branded as “woke” and infected with “globalist and radical ideologies.”

Story Snapshot

Pentagon ends all professional military education, fellowships, and certificate programs with Harvard effective 2026-2027 academic year
Hegseth declares “Harvard is woke; The War Department is not” while announcing the ideological purge of officer training
Decision escalates Trump administration’s ongoing battle with Harvard over anti-Jewish bias, campus protests, and $1 billion damages demand
Broader review of all Ivy League partnerships underway as Pentagon shifts toward military and public university alternatives

Pentagon Declares Ideological Break From Elite Academia

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced February 6, 2026, that the Pentagon will terminate all academic partnerships with Harvard University beginning with the 2026-2027 academic year. The decision ends decades of collaboration on professional military education programs, fellowships, and certificate courses that previously sent officers to the Ivy League institution. Hegseth justified the break by claiming too many officers returned from Harvard with “heads full of globalist and radical ideologies” that undermine military readiness. Current students enrolled at Harvard will be permitted to complete their coursework, but no future enrollments will occur under Pentagon auspices.

Trump Administration Wages War on Ivy League Institutions

The Harvard severance represents the latest escalation in President Trump’s campaign to reshape elite universities accused of promoting anti-American sentiment and failing to protect Jewish students. Trump demanded $1 billion in damages from Harvard just days before Hegseth’s announcement, doubling his previous claim after settlement negotiations collapsed. The administration has already slashed billions in federal research funding and filed multiple lawsuits against the university over alleged anti-Jewish bias stemming from campus protests between 2023 and 2025. Harvard has successfully defended against two federal lawsuits so far, though both remain under appeal, positioning this fight as a constitutional battle between executive power and academic freedom.

Secretary’s Personal Harvard Rejection Drives Policy Decision

Hegseth’s antagonism toward Harvard runs deeper than administration policy, rooted in his personal repudiation of the institution where he earned a master’s degree. The defense secretary publicly returned his Harvard diploma on Fox News in 2022, rejecting the credential as tainted by institutional values he viewed as incompatible with military service. His February 6 statement deliberately branded the Department of Defense as the “War Department,” invoking Cold War-era terminology to signal a return to traditional military focus over what he characterizes as progressive social engineering. This personal history transforms the policy decision into a symbolic rejection of elite academia’s influence over America’s warrior class, appealing directly to conservatives frustrated by universities they view as hostile to patriotic values.

Military Education Shift Threatens Officer Development Networks

The Pentagon plans to redirect officer education toward military academies and public universities, seeking what Hegseth describes as “cost-effective” alternatives aligned with developing a “warrior class.” While these programs historically provided limited promotion advantages, they offered officers exposure to elite intellectual networks and post-service career opportunities that military-only education cannot replicate. A comprehensive review of all Ivy League partnerships is now underway, signaling Harvard’s severance may be the first of multiple cuts targeting Princeton, Yale, and other institutions deemed ideologically problematic. Short-term disruption will affect officers planning 2026-2027 enrollments, while long-term implications include a fundamental reshaping of how America’s military leadership engages with civilian academic institutions and diverse perspectives beyond Pentagon walls.

Federal Power Confronts Academic Independence

The confrontation between the Trump administration and Harvard illustrates the tension between federal funding leverage and constitutional protections for academic freedom. Harvard has thus far successfully litigated against government attempts to dictate campus policies, arguing the administration’s actions constitute unlawful ideological retaliation for the university’s refusal to submit to political demands. The Pentagon’s severance adds a new dimension by targeting specific military programs rather than general research funding, potentially establishing precedent for ideological audits across higher education. For conservatives who have watched universities drift leftward for decades while collecting taxpayer dollars, Hegseth’s move represents an overdue correction that prioritizes military effectiveness over elite credentialism and woke indoctrination masquerading as education.