Pentagon says it will cut academic ties with Harvard University

Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth said on Friday his department was ending professional military education, fellowships, and certificate programs with Harvard University, marking the Trump administration's latest escalation against the school.

President Donald Trump's administration has cracked down on top U.S. universities, including Harvard, over a range of issues such as pro-Palestinian protests against U.S. ally Israel's assault on Gaza, diversity programs, transgender policies and climate initiatives.

"Starting now and beginning in the 2026-27 school year, I am discontinuing all graduate level Professional Military Education (PME), all fellowships and certificate programs between Harvard University and the War Department for active duty service members," Hegseth, who himself holds a master's degree in public policy from the Harvard Kennedy School, said on X.

The policy will apply to service members enrolling in future programs while those currently enrolled will be allowed to finish their courses, Hegseth said.

He also added that the Pentagon will evaluate similar relationships with other universities in the coming weeks.

Rights advocates have raised free speech, academic freedom and due process concerns over the government's actions against universities.

A Harvard spokesperson directed Reuters to a page on the history of the university's ties with the U.S. military that says Harvard has played a "significant role" in America's military traditions since the nation's founding.

TRUMP-HARVARD TENSIONS CONTINUE

The university has previously sued the Trump administration over the government's attempt to freeze federal funding.

Hegseth accused Harvard of "hate America activism," also calling the university antisemitic in a reference to pro-Palestinian protests.

Protesters, including some Jewish groups, say the government wrongly equates criticism of Israel's assault on Gaza and its occupation of Palestinian territories with antisemitism, and advocacy for Palestinian rights with support for extremism.

Harvard has condemned discrimination on campus. Its antisemitism and Islamophobia task forces found last year that Jews and Muslims faced bigotry after the start of Israel's war in Gaza following an October 2023 Hamas attack.

Trump's attempts to freeze federal funds for Harvard have faced legal resistance and the two sides have failed to reach a deal thus far.

Trump said this week his administration was seeking $1 billion from Harvard to settle probes into school policies.

Some Ivy League schools have reached agreements with the Trump administration and accepted certain government demands. Columbia University has agreed to pay more than $220 million to the government while Brown University has agreed to pay $50 million to support local workforce development.

-Reporting by Kanishka Singh in Washington; editing by Diane Craft and Sam Holmes/Reuters