Pentagon Designates Confucius Institutes Security Threat

Pete Hegseth said on Oct. 23, 2026, that Confucius Institutes are designated a threat to U.S. national security. He made the announcement in a video posted on the X account @SecWar. In the video he stated, "The War Department has designated Confucius Institutes as a threat to our national security." He said, "These Chinese government-backed propaganda cultural programs had infiltrated our nation's universities in almost every state," and that Congress had banned them a few years ago. He continued, "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." He added, "We added these sleeper organizations to our list of institutions that threaten our national security," and said the organizations were dismantled over the past two months. Washington has long accused the institutes of serving as Chinese propaganda tools. The Chinese Embassy did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Coverage varies in calling Hegseth Defense Secretary or Secretary of War and in naming the Defense Department or War Department.