US Defense Secretary Orders End to Military Fellowships at 22 Universities Worldwide
In a significant policy shift, US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has directed military officers to cease attending professional education and fellowship programs at 22 universities globally. This decision is part of a broader overhaul of the Pentagon's approved list of Professional Military Education (PME) institutions, which now emphasizes advanced training in artificial intelligence (AI) and space domains.
Details of the Cancellation and New Focus Areas
The move was formalized in a recent memo that eliminates several Senior Service College fellowship programs, effective for the 2026–2027 academic year. A total of 93 fellowships across 22 institutions have been cancelled, impacting prestigious universities such as Harvard, MIT, Yale, Columbia, Brown, Princeton, Carnegie Mellon, and Johns Hopkins University's School of Advanced International Studies.
This action follows Hegseth's earlier termination of professional military education partnerships with Harvard, driven by concerns that some institutions on the list exhibit "anti-American" sentiments. The Pentagon's memo outlines that the new partner institutions must meet specific criteria, including intellectual freedom, minimal relationships with adversaries, limited public opposition to the department, and graduate-level programs in national security, international affairs, or public policy.
List of Cancelled Universities and Proposed New Partners
The cancelled institutions include:
- Harvard University (21 military students)
- Saint Louis University (8 military students)
- Massachusetts Institute of Technology (7 military students)
- Tufts University (6 military students)
- Georgetown University (6 military students)
- Carnegie Mellon University (5 military students)
- Brown University (4 military students)
- Columbia University (3 military students)
- Yale University (2 military students)
- Middlebury College (1 military student)
- Princeton University (1 military student)
- The George Washington University (1 military student)
- College of William and Mary (1 military student)
- Queen's University (1 military student)
- Center for Strategic and International Studies (4 military students)
- New America Foundation (2 military students)
- The Brookings Institution (2 military students)
- Atlantic Council (2 military students)
- Center for a New American Security (2 military students)
- Council on Foreign Relations (2 military students)
- The Henry L. Stimson Center (1 military student)
- Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies – West Space Scholars Program (1 military student)
In contrast, the memo proposes a new group of partner institutions, which includes:
- Liberty University
- George Mason University
- Pepperdine University
- The University of Tennessee
- University of Michigan
- University of Nebraska
- University of North Carolina
- Clemson University
- Baylor University
- Senior Military Colleges such as The Citadel Military College of South Carolina, University of North Georgia, and Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
- DoW/USG Programs like the Ted Stevens Center for Arctic Security Studies, William J. Perry Center for Hemispheric Defense Studies, and Africa Center for Strategic Studies
- Other civilian education institutions such as Iowa State University, Arizona State University, University of Florida, Regent University, Auburn University, and Hillsdale College
Implications and Broader Context
This restructuring reflects the Pentagon's strategic pivot towards prioritizing AI and space in military education, aligning with evolving global security challenges. Notably, several of the removed universities had previously collaborated with the US military on AI research, highlighting a shift in partnership preferences based on ideological alignment and operational criteria.
The decision underscores a growing emphasis on ensuring that professional military education programs are conducted at institutions that support US defense objectives and maintain minimal adversarial ties. As the 2026–2027 academic year approaches, this policy change is expected to reshape how military officers receive advanced training and engage with academic institutions worldwide.
