The Pentagon has announced it will sever all academic ties with Harvard University, a sweeping move that will end long-standing programs that sent U.S. military officers to the Ivy League campus for advanced education and leadership training.

In a statement, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said the Department of Defense would phase out its relationship with Harvard beginning with the 2026–2027 academic year. Officers currently enrolled in degree, fellowship, or certificate programs will be allowed to complete their studies, but no new cohorts will be sent.

Hegseth framed the decision as a corrective to what he described as an ideological drift inside elite universities. For years, he said, the Pentagon had trusted Harvard to help shape future senior leaders, only to see officers return with what he called “globalist and radical ideologies” that he argued did not strengthen the armed forces.

On social media, Hegseth sharpened his critique, declaring that “Harvard is woke; The War Department is not,” using his preferred, historically evocative term for the Pentagon. He cast the break as part of a broader reassessment of how and where the military educates its officer corps.

The Defense Department will now review its partnerships with all Ivy League institutions, comparing their value to public universities and in-house military graduate schools. The stated goal is to determine whether elite private campuses still provide “cost-effective strategic education” for officers destined for top command and policy roles.

The clash with Harvard comes amid a wider confrontation between the Trump administration and leading universities over campus politics, diversity initiatives, and responses to pro-Palestinian protests. Officials have accused Harvard and other institutions of failing to adequately protect Jewish students, filing legal complaints and threatening substantial financial penalties.

President Donald Trump has signaled his support for a hard line, saying his administration would seek $1 billion in damages from Harvard after reports that the university had secured concessions in settlement talks with the government. He has previously moved to slash federal funding to the institution and restrict the entry of international students, who make up a significant share of Harvard’s enrollment.

Some academics and civil liberties advocates warn that the Pentagon’s decision, combined with broader political pressure on universities, risks undermining academic freedom and the traditional arm’s-length relationship between government and higher education.