Pentagon designates Confucius Institutes as national security threat

The United States Department of Defense has designated Chinese-funded campus cultural centers known as Confucius Institutes as a threat to national security, according to the Guardian. Defense secretary Pete Hegseth made the announcement on Friday in a video posted to social media. [1]

The Guardian reported that Washington has long accused Confucius Institutes of operating as Chinese propaganda tools and has taken action to crack down on them. Hegseth alleged in the video that the cultural centers are operating under disguise at United States universities. [1]

The actions follow previous efforts by the defense department to address foreign influence on college campuses. As FTMQ News reported earlier, Hegseth previously announced that the department had dismantled 80 Chinese propaganda cells at colleges and universities across the United States over a two-month period. Hegseth noted at the time that Chinese-backed organizations continued to emerge under new names despite restrictions from Congress. [1][6]