Poll: Over half of US active-duty troops want to leave over politicisation of military

About half of US service members want to leave the armed forces over what they see as growing politicisation under President Donald Trump, a new poll has found.

According to AlterNet, citing Military.com, a Common Defense poll “found that 53 percent of active-duty service members want to separate from service sooner because they said the military is becoming more politicized.”

The survey also found that 45 percent are considering quitting because of policy changes and uncertainty under the administration. Meanwhile, “67 percent agree that decisions affecting service members are being made for political gain, not mission readiness, compared to 25 percent who disagreed.”

Common Defense executive director Jose Vasquez, a US Army veteran, said: “Veterans know what real leadership looks like: you take care of the people under your command and you keep politics out of the mission.” He added: “That’s not a talking point; it’s a readiness crisis.”

Roughly 50 percent of respondents disapproved of Trump as commander-in-chief, while 47 percent approved. Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth had 45 percent approval and 50 percent disapproval.

The New York Times reported that Hegseth has dismissed or sidelined more than 80 generals and admirals, about 10 percent of the force, including Lt. Gen. Brett Sylvia last week.