Zero tolerance: Pentagon orders 30 universities to review their ties with entities in China, Russia, and Iran
The institutions must audit their academic, financial, and research collaborations with foreign entities deemed risky by August 31 to remain eligible for future federal research funding.
Secretary of War Pete Hegseth.
The Pentagon ordered 30 universities and academic institutions across the country to immediately conduct a thorough review of their relationships with foreign organizations considered a potential threat to the security of Washington-funded research.
The measure, officially announced by the department on August 17, requires institutions to examine academic, financial, and research collaborations with certain foreign entities and take action against those partnerships deemed problematic.
Institutions have until August 31, 2026, to report the results of the audits and the measures taken to the department. Failure to comply could jeopardize their eligibility to receive future federal research funding.
"The Department of Defense has zero tolerance for academic partnerships that compromise our national security," said Emil Michael, Under Secretary for Research and Engineering.
Michael added that institutions receiving U.S. taxpayer funds must meet the highest standards of research security and maintained that the audits aim to ensure accountability for these collaborations.
The goal: To prevent technology transfer and the theft of intellectual property
According to the Pentagon, the notifications pertain to active ties with foreign entities identified under Section 1286 of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for fiscal year 2019, as well as with organizations linked to former Confucius Institutes that have been reorganized or renamed.
The Department maintains that the initiative aims to protect taxpayer-funded U.S. research investments from unauthorized technology transfer, intellectual property theft, and exploitation by foreign adversaries.
Universities must conduct a comprehensive audit of the identified foreign collaborations, determine whether there is exposure of sensitive research or research subject to export controls, and establish strict measures to mitigate risks, including the termination of problematic partnerships.
"Universities are key partners in the implementation of a wide variety of the department's research programs," said Joseph Jewell, Assistant Secretary for Science and Technology, who defended the need to ensure that these investments are protected from foreign exploitation.
Harvard, MIT, and other universities under review
The Pentagon's public statement did not disclose the names of the 30 U.S. institutions that were notified. However, U.S. officials confirmed to media outlets such as The Associated Press that among them are Harvard University, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), and Johns Hopkins University.
According to information subsequently provided by U.S. officials and reported by various media outlets, the institutions affected also include:
- Georgetown University
- Cornell University
- University of California, Berkeley
- University of California, San Diego
- Penn State University
- University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA)
- University of Southern California (USC)
- Duke University
- New York University (NYU)
- Yale University
- Stanford University
The Pentagon, however, has not officially released the complete list of the 30 universities in its statement regarding the audits.
A list of 130 foreign institutions
The official document, announced on July 23, identifies 130 academic and research institutions located in China, Russia, and Iran.
According to the Pentagon, these organizations have engaged in activities that increase the risk that U.S. government-funded research and development projects could be diverted or misused. Washington maintains that this risk could allow for interference by adversarial governments and affect both national security and the integrity of U.S. scientific research.
The vast majority of the entities included are Chinese. Among them are institutions such as the University of Science and Technology of China and the Academy of Military Medical Sciences; the list also includes institutions from Russia and Iran.
The Department explained that the list is in accordance with Section 1286 of the Fiscal Year 2019 NDAA and announced that it will continue to update it at least once a year, or whenever new intelligence and threat assessments make it necessary.
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The order marks a new phase in U.S. scrutiny of university cooperation with foreign institutions, particularly those in China.
The Pentagon maintains that the audits will make it possible to anticipate new threats, respond to adversaries' tactics, and protect technological discoveries considered strategic to the United States. The initiative is also being carried out in coordination with the House and Senate Armed Services and Appropriations committees, as well as with the House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party.
China, for its part, rejected the measure. A spokesperson for its embassy in the United States told the AP that Beijing opposes the politicization of scientific and academic exchanges and called on Washington to abandon what it described as a "Cold War mentality."
The Pentagon, however, argues that the priority is to prevent research funded with U.S. public money from being exploited by rival governments and has warned that universities must demonstrate by August 31 that they have reviewed and mitigated those risks.
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