Defense Department Cuts Ties With Harvard University

Summary

On February 3, 2026, negotiations between the Trump administration and Harvard University over a potential settlement collapsed after President Trump changed his demands late in the process, throwing the talks into chaos. The shift came amid ongoing disputes over federal funding, campus policies, and allegations of ideological bias, leaving the university and the administration without a clear path to resolution. Earlier in the week, Trump had said he would demand $1 billion “in damages” from the university and threatened it with a criminal investigation.

On February 7, 2026, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced that the Defense Department would sever its academic ties with Harvard University, describing the institution as a politically liberal university and saying that, beginning in the new school year in September, the department would “discontinue graduate-level professional military education, fellowships and certificate programs at the school.” Hegseth added that military personnel who were already attending classes would be able to finish their courses of study. He said, “For too long, this department has sent our best and brightest officers to Harvard…, hoping the university would better understand and appreciate our warrior class. 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 also wrote on social media, “Harvard is woke; The War Department [sic] (the agency has been officially known as the Department of Defense since 1947) is not.”

Hegseth’s announcement appeared to target Harvard’s Kennedy School, which offers government and public policy programs. The school’s Belfer Center, for example, has a national security fellowship for mid-level U.S. military officers, where 12 officers were enrolled in 2026. Retired General Joseph F. Dunford Jr., the highest-ranking officer in the armed forces for part of Trump’s first term, was also a fellow at the Belfer Center. Other Kennedy School programs, such as the “Senior Executives in National and International Security” program, provide education for senior U.S. military leaders. Hegseth, who served as an infantry officer with the National Guard, graduated from Harvard’s Kennedy School in 2013 with a master’s degree in public policy.

Harvard had previously stated that it was working to make the campus welcoming to different viewpoints and emphasized programs for veterans and service members nearing the end of their military service. The Pentagon did not provide additional details about which programs would be affected beyond Hegseth’s video, and Harvard did not respond to requests for comment. The severing of ties followed the administration’s broader campaign to pressure Harvard, which Trump viewed as hostile to conservatives and to his presidency.