The US Defense Department announced it will cut academic ties with Harvard University. It will stop professional military education fellowships and graduate-level programs at the Harvard Kennedy School starting next academic year. Secretary Pete Hegseth, a Harvard Kennedy alumnus, stated, "Attendance at the school no longer 'meets the needs' of the department or the military services." He added, "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." Hegseth criticized the outcome, saying, "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." The move marks the latest federal government action against the university. The Trump administration has previously targeted higher education institutions over issues like antisemitism, diversity programs, political bias, and academic rigor. While some elite universities reached agreements with the administration, Harvard has not. Recently, Donald Trump demanded $1 billion from Harvard after reports suggested a deal was near, according to the New York Times. This decision ends a key collaboration between the Pentagon and one of America's top universities.