‘Harvard is woke. War department is not’ — Pete Hegseth slams Ivy League college as govt cuts ties

US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Friday called Harvard woke as the Pentagon cut all its ties with the university in a move that ends military education, fellowships and certificate programs.

“File this under: LONG OVERDUE The @DeptWar is formally ending ALL Professional Military Education, fellowships, and certificate programs with Harvard University. Harvard is woke; The War Department is not,” Hegseth said in a post on X, along with a video on the Defense Department's action.

In a separate statement on Friday, Hegseth announced the Defense Department's move to cut all ties with Harvard University, which comes as the latest action by the Trump administration's battle with the educational institute over claims that it promotes the “woke” ideology.

“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,” Pete Hegseth said in the statement.

“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,” he added.

Personnel currently attending classes at Harvard will be able to finish those courses.

Similar programs at other Ivy League universities will be evaluated in coming weeks, Hegseth said in the statement.

The Defense Secretary said the Pentagon would review its ties with all Ivy League colleges for military training and education.

“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,” he said.

Hegseth himself graduated from an Ivy League college, having studied in both Princeton and Harvard. However, he reportedly sent back his degree to Harvard University in a Fox News segment in 2022 while criticising its left-leaning policies.

A Pentagon social media account run by Hegseth’s office resurfaced the clip in which Hegseth, then a Fox News commentator, returned the diploma and wrote “Return to Sender” on it with a marker.

Trump administration officials have accused Harvard and other colleges of failing to sufficiently protect Jewish students during pro-Palestinian protests, filing legal complaints and demanding exorbitant payouts.

Trump has previously sought to cut more than $2.6 billion of funding to Harvard, and has moved to block the entry of international students -- a quarter of its student body.