Hegseth’s announcement said the War Department will discontinue graduate-level Professional Military Education (PME), fellowships and certificate programs with Harvard — but the War Department notice itself did not list specific contracts, labs, research grants, or other partnerships affected.
The decision was announced by Secretary of War Pete Hegseth (the head of the War Department). The public statement is his office’s policy decision; the notice did not cite a specific statute, regulation, or internal legal authority for the action.
Hegseth said the change applies to future enrollments in the affected graduate PME, fellowship and certificate programs (beginning with 2026–27); he and news reports said personnel already enrolled will be allowed to finish courses. The announcement did not explicitly mention scholarships, most research grants, ROTC arrangements, or other service-member educational pathways, so impacts on those are unspecified.
The public notice did not provide evidence or cite examples to justify the claim — it stated a policy judgment that "attendance at Harvard no longer meets the needs of the War Department" and criticized perceived ideological trends, but it did not list factual examples, data, or program reviews in the announcement.
As of the announcement (Feb. 6, 2026) Harvard had not posted an immediate formal response quoted in the War Department notice; news outlets reported Harvard referred questions to its historical summary of ties with the U.S. military. (If Harvard issues a later formal statement, that would be on the university website or in its press releases.)
Hegseth said the policy begins for future enrollments in the 2026–27 academic year and that current students may complete their programs, but the War Department notice did not provide a full timeline, implementation steps, or guidance for affected personnel or partners.
Hegseth said the War Department would "evaluate similar relationships with other universities in the coming weeks," indicating the decision could be a template for reviewing or cutting ties elsewhere; however, whether it becomes a formal precedent depends on follow‑on policy decisions, legal constraints and program-by-program reviews.