The Pentagon has issued a directive to 30 US universities, including Harvard, Yale, and Stanford, to review and potentially sever foreign academic partnerships deemed national security risks, or face losing federal funding. The institutions have until August 31 to complete the reviews.
Universities Ordered to Act
According to a US official who provided the full list to the Guardian, the directive targets institutions with ties largely to Chinese universities. The list includes Harvard, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Johns Hopkins, Georgetown, and Cornell. Also named are the University of California, Berkeley; the University of California, San Diego; Penn State University; the University of California, Los Angeles; the University of Southern California; Duke University; and New York University.
The Pentagon's public release did not name the universities, but the official confirmed the full roster. The order requires these institutions to conduct reviews and report findings by August 31, ending any partnerships deemed problematic.
Rationale and Context
In a news release from Monday, Emil Michael, the Pentagon's chief technology officer, stated: "The Department of War has zero tolerance for academic partnerships that compromise our national security." The reviews aim to protect taxpayer-funded research from unauthorized technology transfers, intellectual-property theft, and exploitation by foreign adversaries.
This directive follows the Pentagon's release last month of an updated list of 130 foreign universities and research institutions it claims engage in activities that increase the risk of US-funded research being misappropriated. Most are Chinese institutions, including the University of Science and Technology of China and the Academy of Military Medical Sciences, with several Russian and Iranian institutions also listed. The list, required under a provision of the 2019 National Defense Authorization Act, was first developed during Donald Trump's first term with help from the American Council on Education.
Broader Scrutiny of Universities
The administration's campaign has increasingly put US universities under scrutiny. Last November, more than three dozen universities, including Harvard, Yale, Stanford, and Duke, faced potential suspension from the State Department's Diplomacy Lab program over their diversity, equity, and inclusion hiring practices. An internal memo obtained by the Guardian showed the department moving to remove 38 institutions from the program while adding 10 schools.
Harvard has been a particular target. A federal judge recently dismissed its lawsuit claiming the university failed to protect Jewish and Israeli students from harassment after the war on Gaza. The Justice Department is also investigating whether Harvard allowed Chinese donors to establish scholarships that excluded American students, part of a wider series of federal investigations involving the Ivy League institution.
The Trump administration has repeatedly portrayed Beijing's access to American technology, research, and infrastructure as a national security concern. It has also sought to counter Chinese influence across the western hemisphere, including ports near the Panama Canal, infrastructure financed through Beijing's Belt and Road initiative, and investment in telecommunications networks.
China has rejected Washington's characterization of academic cooperation as a security threat. A Chinese embassy spokesperson told the Associated Press that Beijing opposed the politicization of "normal scientific, educational, and academic exchanges" and urged Washington to "abandon the cold war mentality and foster an open, fair, and non-discriminatory environment" for academic and scientific exchanges between the two countries.
