Poll Finds Nearly Half of US Troops Oppose Iran War

By Staff, Agencies

Nearly half of active-duty US service members oppose the US military’s involvement in the war against Iran, according to a poll conducted by Change Research for the veteran-led advocacy group Common Defense and published by Responsible Statecraft.

The survey, conducted between September 15 and 28, included 156 active-duty service members, 431 veterans and 144 immediate family members of active-duty personnel. Overall, 49% of respondents opposed the war, compared with 44% who supported it.

Among active-duty personnel, 48% opposed military involvement, with opposition exceeding support by 16 percentage points. Military families expressed the strongest opposition, rejecting the war by a 38-point margin.

Veterans were the only group in which support prevailed, with 53% backing the war and 44% opposing it.

The findings also revealed a significant partisan divide. Republican respondents supported the war by 77% to 16%, while opposition among Democrats and independents contributed to the overall majority against it.

Despite Common Defense’s progressive advocacy and support for Democratic candidates, 47% of respondents identified as Republicans, nearly 20% as independents and 35% as Democrats.

The survey also examined concerns about military accountability and personnel welfare. Fifty-five percent of respondents identified deployment lengths and the health, safety and welfare of troops during the war as among the main issues Congress should investigate. This ranked second behind concerns over Chinese access to the US supply chain.

Questions about military leadership have also emerged publicly. During a CBS News town hall aired over the weekend, Vice President JD Vance faced questions from Joey Amor, whose wife, Nicole Amor, was among six US soldiers killed in an Iranian retaliatory strike on a military base in Kuwait during the opening days of the war.

Amor questioned the administration over what he described as “fundamental failures” that led to his wife’s death, calling for accountability among military leaders.

Vance said it was “literally the first time” he had heard about the alleged failures and pledged to investigate what happened and identify possible improvements.

Opposition among respondents also extended beyond the war against Iran. The poll found resistance to using the US military for domestic policing and to deploying American forces in support of the “Israeli” military’s operations in Gaza and Lebanon. On the latter issue, 53% opposed such deployments, while 38% supported them.