Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is widening his effort to reshape military culture, this time setting his sights on elite universities he argues are hostile to the armed forces. The Pentagon is now evaluating whether to restrict tuition assistance for service members attending certain top-tier institutions, a move that has sparked sharp debate inside both military and academic circles.
The issue first surfaced in a video message last week announcing the Pentagon’s decision to sever academic ties with Harvard University beginning in the 2026–2027 school year. Hegseth described the Ivy League institution as “one of the red-hot centers of hate-America activism” and said the Defense Department had for too long sent officers there with hopes the university would better understand the military.
“For too long, this department has sent our best and brightest officers to Harvard,” 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 also asserted, without providing evidence, that “too many faculty members openly loathe our military” and suppress dissent from left-leaning political views. In the same message, he warned that similar reviews could extend to other Ivy League schools.
A memo signed last week directs military branches to evaluate existing graduate programs for active-duty personnel at elite institutions and other civilian universities that “similarly diminish critical thinking and have significant adversary involvement,” according to CNN. The review process is now underway, with branches compiling lists of schools that could potentially lose Pentagon-funded tuition assistance.
CNN reported that a preliminary Army list includes 34 law schools considered at “moderate to high risk” of being banned for tuition assistance purposes. Notably, several of the universities under scrutiny are alma maters of top Trump administration officials, including President Trump, Vice President Vance, Hegseth himself, Deputy Defense Secretary Steve Feinberg, Army Secretary Dan Driscoll and Navy Secretary John Phelan.
The Pentagon and military branches did not respond to requests for comment regarding the memo.
Since taking over at the Pentagon, Hegseth has pushed a broad cultural overhaul, including policies banning transgender troops, reviewing women’s roles in combat and reevaluating support for Scouting America unless it adopts “core value reforms.” His focus on academia comes amid ongoing tensions between the Trump administration and Ivy League schools over federal funding, campus antisemitism allegations and diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives.
“We train warriors, not wokesters,” Hegseth said in his video. “Harvard, good riddance.”
Critics argue the move risks politicizing military education and limiting officers’ exposure to differing viewpoints. Rosa Brooks, a Georgetown law professor and former Pentagon adviser, called the proposal “stunningly short-sighted.” Kori Schake of the American Enterprise Institute described Hegseth as amplifying the president’s “personal vendettas.”
Others warn that restricting access to elite degrees could affect recruitment and retention. Scott Peoples of Veterans for Responsible Leadership said higher education benefits are a key incentive for officers. Rep. Adam Smith of Washington, the top Democrat on the House Armed Services Committee, said he was “deeply troubled” and requested further information from the Defense Department.
As the review continues, the debate underscores a broader clash over the role of higher education in shaping America’s military leadership and the balance between cultural reform and maintaining access to top academic institutions.
