Higher education group says Pentagon implied wrongdoing without presenting evidence, as House China committee calls for ‘real consequences’
3-MIN READ3-MIN ListenTeresa Elena Frontadoin WashingtonPublished: 5:14am, 19 Aug 2026Harvard University, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Johns Hopkins University are among 30 American institutions ordered to audit their foreign research relationships, according to US officials, as higher education representatives accused the Pentagon of implying wrongdoing without publicly presenting evidence.The identities emerged after the Department of Defence announced the audits on Monday but declined to name the universities or disclose the foreign partnerships under scrutiny.An American official, speaking anonymously to the Associated Press, confirmed that Harvard, MIT and Johns Hopkins had received notifications.
The Pentagon had not responded to repeated email and telephone requests from the South China Morning Post seeking the names of the universities, the collaborations that prompted the audits and evidence of any unauthorised technology transfer or misconduct.
04:21Citing China ‘activity’, Trump administration bars Harvard from enrolling foreign studentsThe universities have until August 31 to conduct comprehensive reviews of their academic, financial and research relationships with foreign “entities of concern”, assess whether sensitive or export-controlled research was exposed, and adopt mitigation measures that could include terminating partnerships.
