Almost 6 in 10 say armed troops should only be sent to face external threats: Poll

[Thiệu Ngô]

Nearly 60 percent of Americans say the U.S. government should only deploy the military when faced with external threats, according to a new survey.

By Max Rego

The Reuters/Ipsos poll, released Wednesday, found that 58 percent of respondents said they believe the military should only be utilized for external threats, while 25 percent said they think the military can be used for other purposes and another 18 percent were unsure.

The poll comes as President Trump has deployed or signaled plans to send National Guard troops to the nation’s capital, Los Angeles, Memphis, Tenn., Portland, Ore., and Chicago. The president has faced legal challenges to the moves, which he alleges are needed to combat crime.

Most Democrats surveyed, 72 percent, said service members should only be deployed to combat outside threats. A slight majority of Republicans, 51 percent, and nonaffiliated respondents, 53 percent, said the same.

Just 37 percent of survey takers said the president should have the authority to send troops to a state, even when a governor objects. Another 48 percent were against such a move while 15 percent said they were unsure, according to the poll.

Those in favor of the move include 70 percent of Republicans, 13 percent of Democrats and 28 percent of respondents affiliated with neither party, the survey found.

The Trump administration’s deployment of National Guard troops to California, Oregon and Illinois has been criticized by the states’ Democratic governors, Gavin Newsom, Tina Kotek and JB Pritzker, respectively.

A clear majority, 83 percent, of respondents said they believe the military should be politically neutral, a longstanding principle of the armed forces. Roughly 93 percent of Democrats agreed with the notion along with 78 percent of Republicans and 80 percent of those who are unaffiliated, according to the results.

The Reuters/Ipsos poll surveyed 1,154 U.S. adults online Oct. 3-7. It has a margin of error of 3 percentage points.