A clear majority of Americans want to see an increase in military spending and for the U.S. to continue providing security assistance to Israel, Ukraine and Taiwan, according to a survey released Thursday by the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation and Institute.
Pollsters said the foundation’s sixth annual National Defense Survey reveals a disconnect between lawmakers in Washington who are pushing for limits and conditions on military aid and more than 77% of Americans who back an increase in military spending. The public also supports maintaining military bases around the world and fears that budget cuts will threaten U.S. defense capabilities.
“In a time of increased global conflict, rather than backing away, Americans have shown their commitment to standing up against authoritarianism and bolstering U.S. global leadership,” said Roger Zakheim, director of the institute.
A bipartisan majority supports the idea that America should help embattled allies like Israel, Ukraine and Taiwan defend themselves if they are willing to fight aggression directed against them, the pollster said.
“Support for Ukraine has remained consistent over the last three Reagan Institute Surveys, despite the narrative about waning support for Ukraine,” the foundation said Thursday after the survey’s findings were released.
Despite calls from some quarters to cut the defense budget, Americans continue to want a U.S. global military presence and an equal distribution of resources and capabilities between the Middle East, East Asia and Europe. This runs counter to the Biden administration’s goal of orienting its defense footprint to the Indo-Pacific region.
“The diverse distribution, including resources throughout the world with no region ignored, reflects that Americans support a global military posture,” the Reagan Foundation said.
While most Americans favor equal military spending in the Middle East, East Asia and Europe, more than half of those who were polled viewed China as the greatest threat to the United States. Last year, 43% of those who were polled viewed Beijing as Washington’s leading adversary.
“Americans’ top concerns about China are its military build-up and human rights abuses,” the Reagan Foundation said.
Despite the support for defense dollars, confidence in the U.S. military remains at a record low, the survey also found. While 70% of Americans had a positive outlook on the U.S. military in 2018, only 46% were confident about U.S. defense capabilities in this year’s survey.
“As Congress debates cutting defense spending, our leaders should consider the views of the American public, who expect our elected officials to strengthen America’s military and weaken our authoritarian adversaries,” Mr. Zakheim said.
The poll was conducted between Oct. 27 and Nov. 5 and was based on 945 telephone interviews and more than 1,500 online surveys, the foundation said.
• Mike Glenn can be reached at mglenn@washingtontimes.com.
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