Military Times/Institute for Veterans and Military Families Poll: Most Troops Have an Unfavorable View of Obama

The Not-so Commander in Chief …

The Military Times reports that a recent Military Times/Institute for Veterans and Military Families poll shows that the military has a 51.5% unfavorable rating of Barack Obama, while only 16.4% have a favorable one after eight years. Who had the most unfavorable opinion of Obama of all of the branches of the military, the Marines at 60.3%.  The biggest criticism of Obama’s time in office was that he decreased the size of the military while in office, as 71% of those polled said the military needs more personnel. Red State opines that back in 2014, 65% of post-9/11 veterans had a favorable opinion of former President George W. Bush, calling him a good Commander-in-Chief, as opposed to about 42% at that time for President Obama.

President Barack Obama will step down after eight years as commander in chief with one of the most influential tenures leading the U.S. military, but not necessarily the political support of service members.

His moves to slim down the armed forces, move away from traditional military might and overhaul social policies prohibiting the service of minority groups have proven divisive in the ranks. His critics have accused him of trading a strong security posture for political points, and for allowing the rise of terrorists like the Islamic State group whom the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan were supposed to silence.

More than half of troops surveyed in the latest Military Times/Institute for Veterans and Military Families poll said they have an unfavorable opinion of Obama and his two-terms leading the military. About 36 percent said they approve of his job as commander in chief.

Their complaints include the president’s decision to decrease military personnel (71 percent think it should be higher), his moves to withdraw combat troops from Iraq (59 percent say it made America less safe) and his lack of focus on the biggest dangers facing America (64 percent say China represents a significant threat to the U.S.)