Trey Paul, FISM News
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A new survey by the Ronald Reagan Institute shows that Americans are increasingly losing trust in the nation’s armed forces due to its focus on liberal agenda items.
Fewer than half of Americans (48%) say they have a “great deal” of trust in the institution according to the study. That number was 45% last year and dramatically different from the roughly 70% who said they trusted the military under the Trump administration.
“Our survey shows that Americans are firmly resolved, as President Reagan was, that the United States has an obligation to fiercely protect our nation and freedom in the world,” said the Director of the Ronald Reagan Institute Roger Zakheim.
The survey, which was released on Dec. 1, revealed that 62% of respondents pointed to overly politicized military leadership for their lack of trust. Additionally, 60% cited the performance and competence of the president as the commander-in-chief, which was echoed by some U.S. lawmakers on Twitter.
“This is what happens when you have an administration that is hellbent on implementing woke policies for our servicemembers, rather than ones that strengthen our military,” Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) said.
Only 48% of Americans have “a great deal of confidence” in the U.S. military.
This is what happens when you have an administration that is hellbent on implementing woke policies for our servicemembers, rather than ones that strengthen our military.
— Sen. Marsha Blackburn (@MarshaBlackburn) December 2, 2022
Researchers also noted that Americans believe the U.S. lacks a clear strategy when it comes to the threat posed by China. Three-quarters of respondents say they view China as an enemy, up from 65% in 2021 and 55% in 2018.
When asked if the U.S. has a clear strategy for managing its relationship with China, more than half (54%) said no.
U.S. Rep. Claudia Tenney of New York recently noted the threat China poses to America on Twitter, while reiterating that the military needs to return to its core purpose:
The threats we face from the Chinese Communist Party are real & growing.
We can’t allow the woke left to distract our military from its core purpose: defending our great nation. We must invest in our military, end the vax mandate, & focus on recruitment. https://t.co/K2UFcI8eiV
— Rep. Claudia Tenney (@RepTenney) December 5, 2022
When asked to choose their single greatest concern regarding China, economic practices were at the top of the list, including technology theft and its trade relationships with other countries.
According to an email uncovered by the Washington Free Beacon, members of the U.S. Pacific Air Forces, who play a role in stopping conflict with China, ordered senior leaders and commanders to stop using gender pronouns such as “he” and “she.”
A spokesman for the Anderson Air Force Base confirmed the authenticity of the email and said that the Air Force is shifting “to a narrative writing format for awards and performance reports.” That spokesperson went on to say that the ban on “pronouns, age, race” and other written descriptors is “intended to eliminate any information that could identify the nominee’s name, gender, age, or race so that all members had a fair and equal chance at winning.”
According to the Reagan survey, 52% of Americans say their concerns about the country’s ability to win a potential future war played a major factor in losing confidence in the military.
U.S. Senator Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) and U.S. Representative Chip Roy (R-Texas) recently released a report detailing how the Pentagon is pushing critical race theory, sex reassignment procedures, and identity politics instead of focusing on building up our military. FISM News summarized the 18-page report which detailed the dangers of “woke ideology” within the armed forces and called out the Biden administration and military leaders for failing to uphold its main objective: “to provide for the common defense of our nation.”
“Rather than making the case for American greatness and protecting our nation, the military is parroting woke nonsense,” said Sen. Rubio. “It’s dumb, it doesn’t work, and it’s dangerous. We need to spend more time thinking about how to counter Chinese aircraft carriers and less time thinking about pronouns.”
The Reagan survey found half of Americans say “so-called ‘woke’ practices undermining military effectiveness” contributed to their lower trust level.
The survey was conducted November 11-14.