Trending Now - Pentagon Cuts Ties With Ivy League Over 'woke' Ideologies

WHO:

Secretary of War Pete Hegseth

Virginia Governor Abigail Spanberger

Former DHS Secretary Kristi Noem

Robert Gates, former Director of Central Intelligence and Secretary of Defense

James McConville, retired Army general

Lt. Gen. William Graham Jr., current chief of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers

Liberty University, Hillsdale College, and other educational institutions

WHAT:

The Pentagon announced it would cut ties and funding relationships with numerous collegiate institutions over "woke ideologies."

A memo from Hegseth stated the Pentagon will "no longer invest in institutions that fail to sharpen our leaders’ warfighting capabilities."

More than a dozen schools, including Harvard, Georgetown, and MIT, are facing termination from military fellowship programs.

The Senior Service College Fellowship program, which allows military members to pursue advanced studies, will be affected, with fewer than 80 students across 15 universities being carved out this fall.

The Tuition Assistance program, which helps cover tuition for approximately 200,000 active-duty or reserve service members, remains intact.

WHERE:

Pentagon

College of William & Mary, Williamsburg, Virginia

Regent University, Virginia Beach, Virginia

Various universities including Harvard, Georgetown, and MIT

Liberty University in Lynchburg, Virginia

Hillsdale College in Michigan

WHEN:

The announcement and memo were made in early March 2026.

The cuts will take effect in the fall of 2026.

Hegseth returned his diploma to Harvard in 2022.

WHY:

The cuts are part of the Trump administration's campaign to end "wokeness" in the military and reshape its relationship with U.S. higher education.

Hegseth criticized elite colleges for being "factories of anti-American resentment" and undermining military values.

HOW:

The Pentagon's decision was communicated through a leadership memo initialed "PBH."

The memo suggested alternative institutions for military education, including Liberty University and Hillsdale College, which promote intellectual freedom and have minimal opposition to the Department of Defense.

QUOTES:

Spanberger described the Pentagon's move as an "outrageous attack at yet another point of pride in Virginia."

Hegseth stated that the changes would ensure “a more rigorous and relevant education to better prepare them for the complexities of modern warfare.”

Hillsdale College President Larry Arnn said, “If officers want serious education in the principles they swear to defend, Hillsdale is exactly where they should be.”

In a significant move, the Pentagon announced it will sever ties and funding relationships with several colleges, including Harvard and Georgetown, over concerns about "woke ideologies," as outlined in a memo from Secretary of War Pete Hegseth. This decision, part of the Trump administration's effort to reshape military education, will affect the Senior Service College Fellowship program and is set to take effect in the fall of 2026, while the Tuition Assistance program for active-duty service members will remain intact. Virginia Governor Abigail Spanberger has called the cuts an "outrageous attack," while Hegseth emphasized the need for a more rigorous education to prepare military leaders for modern warfare complexities.