Spanberger Slams Hegseth's Decision to Cut Pentagon Ties With Universities Over 'Woke' Concerns

Virginia Governor Fires Back at Pentagon Over University Funding Cuts

Virginia Governor Abigail Spanberger has publicly condemned Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth following a Pentagon announcement that it would terminate funding relationships with multiple colleges and universities across the country. The decision, framed as an effort to eliminate so-called "woke ideologies" from military education programs, has sparked significant backlash — particularly in Virginia, where the College of William & Mary stands among the affected institutions.

The Pentagon Memo That Started It All

The controversy stems from an internal Pentagon memo initialed "PBH" — referring to Secretary Peter Brian Hegseth's full name — issued just before the United States conducted airstrikes on Iran. Titled "Aligning Senior Service College Opportunities with American Values," the document outlined a sweeping review of Professional Military Education institutions, describing them as the foundation for developing what it called "lethal warfighters grounded in founding principles."

The memo made clear that the Department of Defense would "no longer invest in institutions that fail to sharpen our leaders' warfighting capabilities or that undermine the very values they swore to defend." More than a dozen schools were flagged for termination of their Pentagon partnerships.

Spanberger Calls the Decision 'Outrageous'

Spanberger, a former CIA officer, addressed the issue during a visit to a high school in Hampton, Virginia — a city located roughly midway between Williamsburg and Norfolk. Her comments were reported by the Norfolk Virginian-Pilot.

"The idea that the Pentagon would pull back from this fellowship program that has been long a fixture at William & Mary is just outrageous," she said, describing the move as an "outrageous attack at yet another point of pride in Virginia."

The governor also criticized the broader implications of the decision, arguing it demonstrated the Defense Department's "lack of understanding of the real strength of universities, whether it's William & Mary or others, in educating the next generation of military leadership."

A Notable Figure in the Crossfire

Adding another layer to the controversy, Spanberger pointed out that William & Mary's current chancellor is none other than Robert Gates — a former Secretary of Defense who served under both President George W. Bush and President Barack Obama, and who previously served as Director of Central Intelligence under President George H.W. Bush. In other words, one of Hegseth's own predecessors now leads the very institution his department is seeking to defund.

William & Mary Responds

In a statement released to Hampton Roads' CBS affiliate, college administrators said they were "puzzled and saddened" by the Pentagon's decision. Officials emphasized that William & Mary is "among the country's most military-friendly institutions" and actively supports its ROTC program. Fox News Digital also reached out to the Pentagon for comment on the matter.

Potential Replacements Already Identified

While institutions like William & Mary, Harvard, MIT, Yale, Princeton, Brown, Tufts, Georgetown, George Washington University, Washington University in St. Louis, and Canada's Queen's University were named in the memo as facing separation, the Pentagon also identified a list of potential replacement institutions.

Schools under consideration include:

• Liberty University – Lynchburg, Virginia
• The Citadel – Charleston, South Carolina
• Virginia Tech – Blacksburg, Virginia
• University of North Carolina
• Clemson University
• Hillsdale College – Michigan
• Regent University – Virginia Beach, Virginia, founded by Christian evangelist Pat Robertson

The potential inclusion of Regent University as a replacement for William & Mary has drawn particular attention, further intensifying the political debate surrounding the Pentagon's sweeping overhaul of its military education partnerships.