Secretary of War Declares Confucius Institutes a National Security Threat

Secretary of War Pete Hegseth announced Friday that the Department of War (DoW) has officially declared Confucius Institutes and their iterations as national security threats.

As my RedState colleague Ward Clark reported in August, the DoW issued notices to 30 universities strongly encouraging them to conduct a review of their collaboration with these Chinese institutes. In his Friday video statement, Hegseth declared that the DoW has officially closed that loop, setting up the removal of Confucius Institutes and their current iterations. Hegseth also alerted to newly discovered "sleeper organizations" that hold the same infiltration and propaganda traits as the Confucius Institutes.

Now today, in a similar example, I want to tell you about Confucius Institutes. These Chinese government-backed, propaganda cultural programs had infiltrated our nation's universities in almost every state. Now thankfully, Congress banned them a few years ago, these Confucius Institutes.

But, they came back disguised in new forms, just like DEI does, just call it a different name. Well, the Department of War has taken action to stop this as well.

We added these sleeper organizations to our list of institutions that threaten our national security. It turns out that 80 new propaganda cells across 30 universities had popped up using different names and different charters, but with the same mission: to steal intellectual property and to infiltrate the minds of American students. So, at the Department of War within the last two months, we have systematically dismantled every single one of these organizations using the leverage that we have here at the War Department. 

According to the Government Accountability Office (GAO), since 2018, when Congress began the work of restricting collaboration with these institutes, the number of these organizations has dropped from about 100 to fewer than five. 

However, as Hegseth attests, they have popped up in new forms, changed shape and size, but still maintain the same mission: to steal American talent, treasure, and destroy us from within. 

China uses Confucius Institutes at US Universities to steal technology and brainwash students. They are now being targeted as national security threats. Many were supposedly shut down years ago, but in reality, they were just renamed. Trying to stop Chinese espionage is like a giant game of "Whack a Mole".

— Michael Ron Bowling (@mrbcyber) October 23, 2026

China uses Confucius Institutes at US Universities to steal technology and brainwash students.  They are now being targeted as national security threats. 

Many were supposedly shut down years ago, but in reality, they were just renamed.  Trying to stop Chinese espionage is like a giant game of "Whack a Mole".

As Hegseth declared, "Not on our watch." 

Hegseth telegraphed to other countries that have used similar infiltration methods as the Chinese Communist Party, warning them that there is a new standard being set. Hegseth also alerted America's educational institutions to be vigilant.

Let this be a lesson: to any country trying to steal our hard-earned inventions or turn our young people against their own country, we're done with that. No more, and never again. 

To these universities I say, just like the Department of War: stay vigilant. Don't allow these influences to come back in. God Bless You. God Bless our Republic, and God Bless all our troops.

SecWar's full message is below.

WATCH:

The War Department has designated Confucius Institutes as a threat to our national security. https://t.co/bvMTUBwGei

— Secretary of War Pete Hegseth (@SecWar) October 23, 2026

Editor's Note: Thanks to President Trump and War Secretary Pete Hegseth's leadership, the warrior ethos is coming back to America's military.

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