The Department of War announced Monday that all 30 universities ordered to conduct research security audits have fully mitigated identified relationships with foreign entities of concern, producing more than 80 termination-related actions.
“These academic institutions that went above and beyond deserve immense credit for setting the benchmark in domestic research security,” Joseph Jewell, assistant secretary of war for science and technology said.
The audits, directed in August, focused on academic, financial, and research collaborations with entities on the most recent National Defense Authorization Act Section 1286 list, published in July 2026. That list names roughly 130 academic and research institutions in China, Russia, and Iran that U.S. officials say engage in activities raising the risk of misappropriation of government-funded research and development.
Actions taken included ending relationships with listed entities as well as precautionary terminations involving entities not specifically named on the list. The department said it worked collaboratively with the universities and that all met the requirements.
Officials singled out seven institutions for going beyond minimum compliance by quickly terminating “problematic relationships” and implementing significant mitigation measures: Oklahoma State University, The Pennsylvania State University, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, the University of South Carolina, the University of Southern California, the University of Texas at Austin, and Virginia Tech.
Emil Michael, under secretary of war for research and engineering, described the outcome as “30-for-30” and signaled further action. “Our work will continue. Institutions that fail to meet research security standards are on notice: taxpayer dollars will not support institutions whose partnerships put the American warfighter or the Nation’s technological advantage at risk,” he said.
The department did not publicly name the full group of 30 universities in Monday’s release. Prior reporting identified institutions including Harvard University, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, the University of California, Berkeley, Georgetown University, Duke University, Johns Hopkins University, and others among those directed to review their ties.
The August directive required the institutions to audit collaborations with Section 1286 entities and organizations associated with rebranded Confucius Institutes, assess exposure of sensitive or export-controlled research, implement mitigation plans (including terminations where necessary), and report by the end of that month to maintain eligibility for future federal research funding.
Under the Section 1286 framework, the department is prohibited from obligating or expending funds for fundamental research that involves collaboration with, or use of equipment from, any entity on the most recent list. The restriction applies to grants, contracts, and other assistance to institutions of higher education and aims to counter unauthorized technology transfer and intellectual property theft.
The department said it will continue updating the Section 1286 list as appropriate and assessing universities that retain problematic relationships. It will coordinate the effort with the House and Senate Armed Services Committees, the House and Senate Appropriations Committees, and the House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party.
The initial August order drew criticism from the American Association of University Professors and the American Federation of Teachers. In a joint statement, the groups called the directive a form of funding-based coercion that risked racial and national-origin profiling, undermined academic freedom and open inquiry, and should be rescinded. They urged transparent dialogue that addresses security concerns without sacrificing global scholarly collaboration.
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Christina Botteri is the Executive Editor of The Tennessee Star and The Star News Network. Follow her on X at @christinakb.
