WASHINGTON, DC – Rep. Mike Gallagher (R-WI), Chairman of the Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party, sent letters to Secretary of Defense, Lloyd Austin, and President of Alfred University, Mark Zupan, with concern that Alfred University continues to host a Confucius institute on campus and retain close ties with a Chinese research university, while receiving a $13.5 million grant from the Department of Defense for sensitive hypersonic weapons research.

  • Section 1062 of the 2021 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) prohibits the Department of Defense from providing funds to “institution[s] of higher education that hosts a Confucius Institute” after October 1, 2023.
  • Alfred University was awarded a 5-year contract worth $13.5 million dollars, ending in 2027. If Alfred University does not close its Confucius Institute or receive a waiver, this grant will be in violation of the law as of October 1, 2023.
  • Alfred University has also entered into a research agreement with China University of Geosciences in Wuhan, which participates in classified Chinese military defense projects and maintains a research program in advanced materials science closely related to the DOD-funded research at Alfred University.

In the letter, Chairman Gallagher wrote, “To put it plainly, DOD is funding advanced, hypersonic weapons-related research at an American university that actively partners with a Chinese university that performs similar research for the PLA. We seek additional information regarding this alarming matter and the DOD’s efforts to safeguard sensitive U.S. military research.” 

“It is extremely concerning that $17 million in American taxpayer dollars has gone to fund advanced weapons-related research at a university that actively partners with a Chinese research institution working hand in hand with the Chinese military. It is not a secret that the CCP uses Confucius Institutes to project “soft power,” but it’s time to shed light on how the CCP also uses these institutes to build Chinese “hard power” weapons that could be used against Americans in a future conflict. I look forward to hearing promptly from DOD and Alfred University on what they are doing to ensure American research security remains intact and that American taxpayer dollars aren’t used to fuel the CCP’s military advancement,” said Chairman Gallagher.