For decades, Harvard University was seen as one of the most respected schools in the world. It was a place that trained presidents, judges, scientists, and military leaders. Lately, though, the school has been in the news for very different reasons, including accusations that it has become more focused on political activism and “woke” ideology than education. Now that shift is having real consequences, as the Department of Defense has decided to cut ties with the university, claiming it doesn’t provide the proper atmosphere for future military leaders and officers.
Harvard Is Too Woke for Military Training
On Friday, February 6, Secretary of War Pete Hegseth announced the War Department would sever its academic ties with Harvard University because attendance at the school “no longer meets the needs of the War Department or the military services,” a press release noted. In an X post, the secretary wrote: “File this under: LONG OVERDUE.”
The school has a long history of serving military needs. Hegseth said, “In 1775 ... Gen. George Washington took command of the Continental Army in Harvard Yard and used the university as a military base. From that time, through the Korean War, military service was commonplace at Harvard. There are more recipients of our nation's Medal of Honor who went to Harvard than any other civilian institution in the United States."
But times have changed, and the War Department is concerned Harvard's far-left tendencies are not healthy for training the nation’s military. "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,” Hegseth said. "Instead, 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."
Hegseth added, "Campus research programs have partnered with the Chinese Communist Party. And university leadership encouraged a campus environment that celebrated Hamas, allowed attacks on Jews, and still promotes discrimination based on race in violation of Supreme Court decisions."
The History Behind the School
Harvard University was founded in Massachusetts on October 28, 1636. It’s the oldest of the Ivy League schools and has enjoyed centuries of prestige and fame, and its military history runs just as long. People connected to the school served in militias long before the nation was founded. In 1776, the campus was given to the Continental Army for 1,600 soldiers to move into the five buildings the school had at the time. In 1916, Harvard hosted the first Army ROTC in the country, and during World War II, the Navy Reserve began training officers there.
Some former presidents who went to Harvard include John Adams and his son, John Quincy Adams; Rutherford B. Hayes; both Theodore and Franklin Roosevelt; John F. Kennedy; George W. Bush; and Barack Obama. Cabinet and congressional members who attended include Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-NY), Florida Governor Ron DeSantis (R), Vice President JD Vance, former Secretary of State Antony Blinken, former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, and former Attorney General Merrick Garland. Hegseth went to Harvard as well, earning a master’s in public policy in 2013 from the Harvard Kennedy School.
Past and Present Issues
One of President Donald Trump’s campaign promises was to get rid of DEI programs in the military, schools, and the workforce. Some universities reached agreements with the administration to work on reducing woke student courses, but Harvard refused and federal funding of more than $2 billion was frozen. A judge later ruled in favor of the school and released the hold, but Trump is continuing to fight this ruling.
Now, the administration is focusing on schools and their programs regarding the military. “[We] will evaluate all existing graduate programs for active-duty service members at all Ivy League universities and other civilian universities," Hegseth said in the press release. "The goal is to determine whether or not they actually deliver cost-effective strategic education for future senior leaders when compared to, say, public universities and our military graduate programs."
Hegseth said that the goal moving forward is to “focus on developing warriors, increasing lethality and reestablishing deterrence.” He added, "That no longer includes spending billions of dollars on expensive universities that actively undercut our mission and undercut our country.”
The War Department will discontinue graduate-level professional military education, fellowships, and certification programs at Harvard beginning with the 2026-2027 school year. However, this will not affect students currently attending classes.
