Were the war in Afghanistan a person, it would be old enough to enlist to fight in the war in Afghanistan.
Put another way, America’s youngest soldiers weren’t alive when the first American soldiers went to Afghanistan after Sept. 11, 2001. About 13,000 U.S. troops are currently stationed in Afghanistan.
And the Americans most directly affected by this endless war emphatically want it over. Our veterans, along with the family members of our veterans and our active fighters, are ready for all the U.S. troops to come home, according to a new poll. And they’re not eager for more foreign adventures.
Nearly three-fourths of veterans polled by Concerned Veterans for America would support the decision “to authorize that all U.S. troops be removed from Afghanistan,” compared to 20% who would oppose that decision. For military family members, the numbers were basically the same: 69% support total withdrawal, and only 19% oppose it.
“Veterans appreciate that we long ago accomplished in Afghanistan what was required for our national interests but that continuing the war no longer makes sense,” said Will Ruger, vice president of research and policy at the Charles Koch Institute, which is connected to Concerned Veterans for America.
The same overwhelming majorities would support a total withdrawal from Iraq. We don’t know how many U.S. troops are currently there, because the Trump administration has stopped disclosing that fact.
Looking forward, America’s veterans and military households seem to want a humbler foreign policy.
When asked, “Should the United States be more or less militarily engaged in conflicts around the world, or stay about the same?”, only 7% of veterans and 11% of military households said “more.” Keep in mind that 7% in any given poll will say anything.
Meanwhile, 57% of veterans wanted less military engagement, along with 43% of those in military households. In practical terms, this has meant they approve of President Trump’s policy. A Military Times poll late last year found that 59% said they approved of “plans to negotiate with the Taliban and reduce troop levels there,” and 47% “believe [Trump] will keep U.S. forces out of another major military conflict).”
The exception: 58% in the Military Times poll disapproved of Trump’s withdrawal of troops in northern Syria ahead of Turkish offenses there.
But in general, the pattern is clear: The people who fight our wars want less war when we can help it.
