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Thirty academic institutions across the nation must immediately conduct research security audits under a demand coming from the U.S. Department of War, the agency announced Monday.
The notification directs the schools “to initiate immediate and comprehensive reviews of their academic, financial and research collaborations with foreign entities of concern,” according to a department news release.
The academic institutions are not named, but the release states “organizations associated with rebranded Confucius Institutes” are among them.
Confucius Institutes, funded by communist China, were set up on campuses nationwide years ago ostensibly as a cultural exchange, but they were flagged by Republican lawmakers as vectors through which China could spy on America, obtain taxpayer-funded research, and spread communist propaganda.
By 2021, the more than 100 institutes on campuses had reportedly dwindled to 27. By 2023, that number had dropped to five, according to stats from the Government Accountability Office.
The Department of War’s news release states the audit is needed “to protect American taxpayer-funded research investments from unauthorized technology transfer, intellectual property theft and adversarial exploitation.”
“The Department of War has zero tolerance for academic partnerships that compromise our national security,” stated Emil Michael, Under Secretary of War for Research and Engineering. “Institutions that receive funding from American taxpayers must uphold the highest standards of research security, and these mandated audits will ensure accountability across the board.”
The Military Times reported that the “list of institutions the Defense Department deems problematic includes 130 organizations from China, Russia and Iran, ranging from electronic measurement laboratories to scientific research centers.”
“Though the Trump administration in the 2026 National Defense Authorization Act downgraded China to the U.S.’s second-ranking threat, the crackdown comes as the Pentagon increasingly scrutinizes how American research and technology can be used to better China’s military capabilities,” the outlet reported.
MORE: Troy University maintains Confucius Institute in face of closures elsewhere
