{"id":51594,"date":"2018-10-16T23:43:14","date_gmt":"2018-10-16T23:43:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/uncategorized\/2018\/10\/16\/why-todays-troops-fear-a-new-war-is-coming-soon\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T07:25:32","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T07:25:32","slug":"why-todays-troops-fear-a-new-war-is-coming-soon","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/news\/pentagon-congress\/2018\/10\/16\/why-todays-troops-fear-a-new-war-is-coming-soon\/","title":{"rendered":"Why today\u2019s troops fear a new war is coming soon"},"content":{"rendered":"
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We asked our active duty readers about everything from Space Force to their support of the president and whether we should send more forces to Iraq.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n

WASHINGTON \u2014 Nearly half of all current military troops believe the United States will be drawn into a major war soon, a jarring rise in anxiety among service members worried about global instability in general and Russia and China in particular, according to a new Military Times poll of active-duty troops<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

About 46 percent of troops who responded to the anonymous survey of currently serving Military Times readers said they believe the U.S. will be drawn into a new war within the next year. That\u2019s a jarring increase from only about 5 percent who said the same thing in a similar poll conducted in September 2017.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Another 50 percent think the country will not end up in a major conflict during the next year. But that number is falling, down from more than two-thirds of those surveyed last fall who said a war was unlikely.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The fears of war come as President Donald Trump<\/a> in the last year has repeatedly emphasized improving military readiness in the face of growing threats from foreign adversaries, both loosely affiliated terrorist groups and traditional major power rivals. At the same time, top Pentagon officials have spoken publicly about the need to prepare for a conflict against a \u201cnear-peer” adversary.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When asked about specific countries, troops said Russia and China were among their top concerns. The poll showed a big increase in the number of troops who identify those two countries as significant or major threats: About 71 percent of troops said Russia was a significant threat, up 18 points from last year\u2019s survey. And 69 percent of troops said China poses a significant threat, up 24 points from last year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Some top Pentagon officials have voiced similar views. Last year, Marine Corps Commandant Gen. Robert Neller told <\/a>Marines that he thought there was a \u201cbig-ass fight\u201d on the horizon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“I hope I\u2019m wrong, but there\u2019s a war coming,\u201d Neller told Marines in Norway<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Cyber-terrorism topped the list of threats to U.S. security in the Military Times poll. Nearly 89 percent of those surveyed listed it as a significant threat, with more than half of those calling it a major concern.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And many troops worry the U.S. is not fully prepared for cyber warfare. One-third of service members said they disapprove of the country\u2019s current policies on combating cyber terrorism. Only about 13 percent said they strongly back government and military efforts underway.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Foreign terrorist organizations like Al Qaeda and the Islamic State group were seen as less of a threat than domestic terrorist groups. About 57 percent of troops see U.S.-based Islamic extremists as a significant threat, compared to 49 percent for other domestic terrorist groups and 48 percent for foreign ones. Last year, more than 59 percent of troops said Al Qaeda and ISIS posed significant threats.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The biggest decrease shown in this year\u2019s poll was North Korea, which was seen as a significant threat by more than 72 percent of troops one year ago, but in this year\u2019s poll only 46 percent described the country that way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the last year, U.S. posture toward North Korea has also seen a dramatic shift. Trump moved from mocking North Korean leader Kim Jong Un on social media last fall \u2014 calling him \u201cLittle Rocket Man\u201d \u2014 to publicly proclaiming his respect for the controversial dictator, following a peace summit between the two in June.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Even with U.S. forces still deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan \u2014 or perhaps because of it \u2014 those countries were seen as a significant threat by less than 13 percent of the armed forces. That\u2019s well behind Iran (41 percent), Syria (24 percent) and Saudi Arabia (18 percent).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Similar to past polls, those conflict zones were also seen as a lesser threat to U.S. national security than white nationalists (35 percent, up slightly from a year ago) and immigration (23 percent, steady from a year ago).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cIt has never been this bad\u201d<\/b><\/p>\n\n\n\n

One of the Military Times poll respondents, an Army recruiter with more than 18 years of service, said Trump\u2019s handling of the standoff over North Korea\u2019s nuclear weapons looked risky at times, but overall the soldier approves of how Trump is going \u201ctoe-to-toe\u201d in negotiations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt was kind of scary, but he had the guts to go over there and stand up for what a lot of Americans are believing in,\u201d the recruiter, who asked not to be identified by name, told Military Times in a telephone interview.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Some services members believe that President Trump is contributing to the instability and fears. One soldier, a female Army sergeant first class based in Hawaii who asked to remain anonymous, said she\u2019s has seen junior enlisted soldier opt to not re-enlist due to fears that a major war could erupt soon, and that Trump has made the chances of such a war more likely.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI feel it has never been this bad and with this many adversaries, because of the way he [Trump] chooses to do business,\u201d she told Military Times in a telephone interview.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She is afraid of a \u201cconstant conflict\u201d occurring soon, of endless deployments and fighting.<\/p>\n\n\n\t