Defense Department Cuts Harvard Military Education Programs

The US Department of Defense, now also called the Department of War, formally cut ties with all graduate military education, fellowships, and certificate programs at Harvard University.

The Details: The department, led by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, announced the federal funding cuts on Friday, arguing, "Attendance at the school no longer meets the needs of the War Department or the military services." The cuts apply to all active duty servicemembers enrolling in graduate courses as soon as the 2026-2027 academic year. Students currently enrolled in courses will be allowed to complete their studies "with some [unclear] exceptions." The department also announced that graduate programs will be evaluated at civilian universities across the US. 

Hegseth's Statement: After highlighting the university's "rich tradition" and historical relevance, Hegseth said "good riddance" to Harvard, which he called, "one of the red-hot centers of 'hate America' activism." He asserted, "Ideological automatons are useless. We need leaders who can wrestle with multiple viewpoints, professionals who can think critically and independently to solve important questions," alleging connections between Harvard and the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), Hamas, and Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives. Hegseth continued, "At the War Department, we will strive to maximize taxpayer value in building lethality to establish deterrence." He quipped, "We train warriors, not wokesters."

For Context: President Donald Trump barred DEI initiatives from educational programs via an executive order in April. His administration threatened to cut funding to Harvard in June after finding the university "in violent violation of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act;" however, a district court judge blocked the cuts in September. Trump announced last Monday, prior to Friday's cuts, that he was seeking $1 billion in damages from Harvard. 

Bloomberg (Lean Left bias) reported, "Over the past 10 years, more than 500 US active duty service members, reservists, and veterans have enrolled in the Kennedy School's various educational programs, the school said in November." Hegseth also has a master's degree from the Kennedy School, though he satirically returned his diploma in 2022 during a segment on Fox News (Right).

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How The Media Covered It: Most mainstream news media across the political spectrum did not exhibit staunch political biases, though both Bloomberg and Fox used slightly sensational language. Bloomberg, for example, called the cuts "the latest blow [from] the federal government," and Fox said Hegseth "slammed the university." Reuters' (Center) coverage trended more towards the political left and highlighted "[Rights advocates' concerns] about free speech, academic freedom, and due process."

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