Hegseth says Pentagon cutting ties with top universities, calling them "woke breeding grounds" [View all]

Source: CBS News

February 27, 2026 / 4:30 PM EST


Washington — Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced Friday that the Pentagon would be canceling troops' attendance at graduate programs at some of the nation's top universities, calling them "woke breeding grounds of toxic indoctrination."

"Today, just like we did with Harvard, I am ordering the complete and immediate cancellation of all Department of War attendance at institutions like Princeton, Columbia, MIT, Brown, Yale and many others, starting next academic year, 2026-2027," Hegseth said in a video statement.

"We cannot and will not continue to send our most capable officers, senior officers, into graduate programs that undermine the very values they have sworn to uphold," Hegseth said.

The Pentagon announced earlier this month that it would be ending all military training, fellowships and certificate programs with Harvard amid the Trump administration's adversarial relationship with the Ivy League school.

Read more: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/hegseth-pentagon-cutting-ties-with-top-universities-woke/