Pentagon Cuts Military Ties with Several Universities, Citing ‘Woke Ideology’

Washington — Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced Friday that the Pentagon would be canceling troops’ attendance at graduate programs at several of the nation’s top universities, calling them “factories of anti-American resentment.” The move expands a previous decision to cut ties with Harvard University, and signals a broader effort to distance the military from institutions Hegseth accuses of promoting “woke” ideologies.

Expanding Ban to Multiple Universities

“Today, just like we did with Harvard, I am ordering the complete and immediate cancellation of all Department of War attendance at institutions like Princeton, Columbia, MIT, Brown, Yale and many others, starting next academic year, 2026-2027,” Hegseth said in a video statement. The ban applies to graduate-level professional military education, fellowships, and certificate programs.

Concerns Over ‘Toxic Indoctrination’

Hegseth accused the universities of becoming “breeding grounds of toxic indoctrination” that undermine military values. “We cannot and will not continue to send our most capable officers, senior officers, into graduate programs that undermine the very values they have sworn to uphold,” he stated. He further claimed the institutions have “replaced the study of victory and pragmatic realism with the promotion of wokeness and weakness,” and “traded true intellectual rigor for radical dogma.”

Previous Action Against Harvard

The Pentagon announced earlier this month it would be ending all military training, fellowships and certificate programs with Harvard University, citing similar concerns about its alignment with military values. Hegseth has previously publicly criticized Harvard, even symbolically returning his own Harvard diploma in a 2022 Fox News segment.

Review of War Colleges Planned

In addition to cutting ties with these universities, Hegseth announced a “top-to-bottom review” of the war colleges to ensure they are “wholly dedicated to the singular mission of developing the most lethal and effective leaders and war fighters the world has ever known.”

Defense Secretary’s Personal Connection

Notably, Hegseth himself holds degrees from both Princeton and Harvard, as reported by the Associated Press.