ACCORDING to a Gallup poll published on Monday, fewer Americans have confidence in their military than at any point since 1997.
Over the last two years, trust in the armed forces has dropped by ten points, leading to a historic recruitment crisis for the services.
The poll that was conducted in June revealed that 60% of respondents expressed a great deal or quite a lot of confidence in the military which is down from 64% last year.
The last time public confidence in the military was at 60% was in 1997 and it has not been lower since 1988 when it was at 58%.
After the 9/11 attacks in 2001, public support for the US services surged, with the armed forces enjoying 82% approval when President George W. Bush invaded Iraq in 2003.
While post-9/11 patriotism declined as the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan continued, approval remained in the mid-70s until 2020, when it began to steadily decline year after year.
Traditionally, Republicans are more likely to support the military than Democrats, but their confidence has dropped from 91% in 2020 to 68% today.
As public support for the military declines, the armed forces are facing challenges in recruiting new members.
Army, navy, and air force leaders testified in a congressional hearing in March that they all expect to fall short of their recruitment targets this year, particularly after the Army experienced its worst year for recruitment in 2020 since the abolition of the draft in 1973.
According to a Pentagon study published in March, of the 17-24-year-olds usually targeted by military recruiters, 80% are physically unfit for service due to obesity, drug use, or poor mental health.
Furthermore, only 9% of this age group have an interest in joining the military in the first place, as stated by Army Secretary Christine Wormuth in an interview with CNBC news in October.
