Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said on Friday that the Defense Department would sever its academic ties with Harvard University, the latest broadside by the Trump administration in its pressure campaign to force the university to cut a deal with the government.
In a statement and video published on Friday evening, Mr. Hegseth attacked the university in hyperbolic language, decrying it as a politically liberal institution, and said that, beginning in the new school year in September, the Defense Department will “discontinue graduate-level professional military education, fellowships and certificate programs at the school.” Mr. Hegseth added that military personnel who are attending classes will be able to finish those courses of study.
It is unclear what programs will be affected, and to what extent, but there are several graduate-level programs for military officers at Harvard. Mr. Hegseth’s order appeared to squarely target his alma mater: Harvard’s Kennedy School, which teaches government and public policy programs.
The Kennedy School’s Belfer Center, for example, has a national security fellowship for mid-level U.S. military officers. Retired Gen. Joseph F. Dunford, Jr., the highest-ranking officer in the armed forces for part of President Trump’s first term, is also a fellow at the Belfer Center. There were 12 officers enrolled in the national security fellowship this year. (David E. Sanger, a White House and national security correspondent for The New York Times, is a lecturer at a defense program in the Belfer Center.)
The Kennedy School also offers programs for senior U.S. military leaders. The “Senior Executives in National and International Security” program, for example, is open to U.S. generals and admirals. Mr. 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.
In the past, Harvard leaders have said the school is working to make the campus culture welcoming to different viewpoints, but have pushed back strongly against the Trump administration’s assertions that it is hostile to conservatives.
Public statements by the university have previously highlighted programs focused on veterans, or service members who are about to leave the military, as well as officer cadets who are enrolled at the university, but it is unclear if those programs would be included in the embargo.
When asked which programs, specifically, would be cut as part of Mr. Hegseth’s order, the Pentagon said in a statement that it didn’t have “anything more to provide beyond the secretary’s video.” Harvard University did not respond to a request for comment.
Harvard has been the top target in Mr. Trump’s sweeping campaign to exert more control over higher education. Mr. Trump views many top universities, including Harvard, as hostile to conservatives and his presidency. Earlier this week, Mr. Trump said he would demand $1 billion “in damages” from the university and threatened the school with a criminal investigation.
Chris Cameron is a Times reporter covering Washington, focusing on breaking news and the Trump administration.
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