From the Liveblog of
Tuesday, August 18, 2026
US Defense Department orders audit of 30 universities’ partnerships with foreign institutions
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on Google
The US Department of Defense orders 30 US universities to audit their partnerships with mostly Chinese universities and military training institutions as the Trump administration scrutinizes the country’s growing global influence.
The administration is also looking into Iranian influence.
If the schools don’t complete a review and terminate any arrangements deemed problematic within the next two weeks, they face losing funding. The goal is to protect taxpayer-funded research from theft and exploitation, the Pentagon said yesterday.
“The Department of War has zero tolerance for academic partnerships that compromise our national security,” Emil Michael, the Pentagon’s chief technology officer, says in a news release.
The release doesn’t name the schools, but a US official who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss internal matters said they include Harvard University, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Johns Hopkins University.
The schools didn’t immediately respond to emails from The Associated Press seeking comment.
The order comes after the Pentagon last month released an updated list of 130 foreign institutions it accused of engaging in “activities that increase the likelihood of U.S. government-funded research and development efforts being misappropriated.”
While the vast majority were Chinese, such as the University of Science and Technology of China and the country’s Academy of Military Medical Sciences, several Iranian and Russian institutions also appeared on the list.
The Justice Department is also investigating whether Harvard University is allowing Chinese donors to create scholarships that exclude American students, adding to the barrage of federal inquiries the Trump administration has opened in its battle against the Ivy League school, including surrounding allegations of antisemitism during pro-Palestinian, anti-Israel protests.
A spokesperson for the Chinese embassy says in a statement that the country opposes what it described as the politicization of “normal scientific, educational, and academic exchanges.”
Times of Israel staff contributed to this report.
The Times of Israel Community.