Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth announced Friday that the Department of Defense will cancel all military attendance at several elite universities starting with the 2026–27 academic year. This move is part of a broader reshaping of military education policy, Defense Department officials said.
In a video posted on social media, Hegseth clarified that the policy applies to institutions that have traditionally hosted U.S. military officers for graduate and professional education, including Princeton University, Columbia University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Brown University, and Yale University.
“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. “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.”
For too long, the Ivy League and similar institutions have been subjecting our warriors to woke indoctrination—those days are over. pic.twitter.com/0xMC6BArDd
— Secretary of War Pete Hegseth (@SecWar) February 27, 2026
Hegseth also called for a comprehensive review of military academic programs. He said service colleges should focus more directly on national security issues and “real-world war-fighting,” rather than social or ideological concerns.
“We demand that senior service colleges work to sharpen our war fighters on genuine national security issues, not social justice activism,” he said. “We demand curriculums grounded in the founding principles of this republic—principles that champion the enduring ideals of peace through strength and putting American interests first.”
He extended his criticism to the broader academic community, saying, “We demand universities that invest back into our nation’s prosperity rather than our greatest adversaries. It’s common sense.”
This policy shift marks a significant change in how the Pentagon engages with civilian higher education institutions for officer training and professional development, a relationship that has long been part of the U.S. military’s career education pipeline. Hegseth added that he will direct a formal “top-to-bottom” review of U.S. colleges to ensure they are “once again bastions of strategic thought, wholly dedicated to the singular mission of developing the most lethal and effective leaders and war fighters the world has ever known.”
“We’re going to hold ourselves accountable as well,” he said.
Hegseth concluded with a message to service members, emphasizing their mission in contrast to the skepticism expressed by academic elites. “As a final message to our warriors: the Ivy League faculty lounges may loathe you, the so-called elite of academia may mock your patriotism and disdain your sacrifice, but never forget that we, the War Department, have your back,” he said.
Hegseth’s announcement comes as President Donald Trump ordered the U.S. military to strike targets in Iran, following weeks of failed negotiations over Tehran’s nuclear weapons development.
In a video posted to social media, Trump encouraged the Iranian people to take control of their government once the United States and Israel completed “major combat operations,” marking a dramatic escalation in tensions.
The joint U.S.-Israeli strike began just after 9 a.m. local time in what the War Department called “Operation Epic Fury.” Trump directly addressed the Iranian people: “The hour of your freedom is at hand. Stay sheltered. Don’t leave your home. It’s very dangerous outside. Bombs will be dropping everywhere. When we are finished, take over your government. It will be yours to take. This will probably be your only chance for generations. For many years, you have asked for America’s help, but you never got it. No President was willing to do what I am willing to do tonight. Now you have a President who is giving you what you want.
