According to new polling data from Gallup, American trust in the military has now reportedly reached its lowest point in decades.
According to Gallup research, confidence in the U.S. military among Americans of all political stripes has dipped to only 60%, matching the lowest level seen since 1997.
Only 58% of people had faith in the military in 1988, the previous time trust fell below 60%. Data was gathered between June 1 and 22.
Republicans, who have historically been the group most inclined to support the military, have seen the biggest decline in trust in the armed forces.
Since 2020, when 91% of Republicans expressed trust in the military, such confidence has decreased by 23 percentage points.
After President Joe Biden’s inauguration, according to Gallup, Democrats’ trust increased, but it has subsequently dropped. Independents had the lowest degree of confidence, with a confidence level of only 55%.
After a botched exit from Afghanistan, where the United States had a military presence for more than 20 years, trust fell.
A politicized Department of Defense has been blamed by some for the fall in trust.
The Army announced earlier this year that it will likely miss its targets once more in fiscal year 2023, when it had wanted to recruit 452,000 soldiers.
The military has also had difficulty attracting new members. The Army missed its recruitment goals in fiscal year 2022.
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