Does the US Military generally lean to the Left or the Right, Politics-wise?

[Physics-Man]

I believe this would be a crucial deciding factor in which side would win in a US Civil War involving Left and Right clashing ideologies.

Left

Right

Other

[crmoore]

For a while, I would have said it was the right. But with the things that have been happening recently, it seems like the political right/libertarians might be willfully OR forcefully removed from the military.

Here are two examples:

1. With critical race theory being forcefully taught in the military, many right-leaning individuals are leaving the military, as they don't want to support such things. While I understand the displeasure, all this leaves in the military are people who agree with left-wing ideology, or mindless drones who simply do what they're told.

2. Biden/his administration is purging the military of wrongthink, such as when Biden deployed thousands of people the DC, but removed military members who had expressed appeal for Trump, or had things like the gadsden flag (an iconic, American symbol), on their social media pages.

If these two things continue, the military will be comprised more or less of left-wingers. And they already have control of our public school system, our private institutions, and various other things.

[BeMuse]

Here you go...

[BeMuse]

[BeMuse]

[BeMuse]

[BeMuse]

[BeMuse]

[SaoirseS]

The military itself doesn’t lean one way or the other politically. But if you look back over the past few decades, Republican administrations have advocated having a strong military more so than democrats. Republicans also have done far more to champion quality of life improvements for members of the military and their families than Democratic administrations, which probably has led to service people supporting those who support them the most. These days I think it’s a non-issue since four of the last five presidents never served in the military, and it showed during their time in office.

[BCA6010]

When I was in an infantry company, I'd estimate that it was about ~30% right, 15% left, and the rest were either libertarians or completely apathetic and would just do what they're told. From what I could tell, most of the clerical side of the Army tended to lean more to the left, while the mechanics and tradecraft type of support soldiers leaned a bit more right.

The left-leaning group was disproportionately made up of officers. In fact by the time I got out in 2018, a majority of captains and lieutenants were at the very least left-leaning, a couple being pretty much full blown commissars-lite who were a very different mindset from the people in those positions when I first got there.

I didn't really notice a significant shift with the NCOs or lower enlisted, but a lot of senior NCOs who had previously planned on staying in past their 20 years did a complete 180 and took their retirement in the last year or two.

[Guy13]

Bring from military town with military family members, the military is more Left than any other time in History. What do you expect when:
-1950s-1970 gave College/University over to Leftist thought
-Military University Training infiltrated by Leftist thought
-70sto Presnt Public Schools moved from educating teaching institutions to Ideology training centers. HITLER SAID IT BEST and it’s reflected in our Country as well:
“Parents, you feed and clothe them, I will take care of their mind.”
KNOW, your State of Affairs.,,,

Stalin/Mao/Lenin AND USA DEMOCRATIC PARTY hold same VALUE SYSTEM.

[MCheetah]

I was always led to believe the US military just does what they are told to do and don't really get involved in actual politics. But most FORMER military I've met tend to be conservative, but not necessarily Republican. And this is because most of them tend to come from small towns, where politics aren't as big of a deal or talked about as much. That was always my understanding, at least.

[DCooper]

The enlisted troops lean right. After the Obama purge, the vast majority of the officers are leftists. Like any executive branch outfit, the military has to be kept ready for use against the citizenry.

[tartaarsaus]

I would guess more to the right. That said, members of the military just have to follow lawful orders by their superiors, especially the commander-in-chief, so the military ought to not be that political.

[SaoirseS]

Glad to see you used the term “lawful orders.” The way some phrase following orders, they make it sound like members of the military are mindless robots. They are not.

[disgustingweebtrash]

The US Military leans to the State which is not bound by left/right, whilst members of the military themselves will mostly be right wing, they are still drones who will do whatever their commander tells them to do.

[Citizenkirk]

The military has the right to vote but are also required to enforce international policy abroad and are forbidden too openly criticize the president.
Technically, the are supposed to support the presidential worldview on everything 😭

[exitseven]

Biden has put enough liberals in high places in the military that our once strong military will become a joke in front of the whole world.

[Anonymous]

The US military serves the US federal government and state government. Military and police personnel do tend to vote republican because they spend money on policing and military bases which means more employment, higher wages and overtime.

[DWornock]

It doesn't matter because the military will obey the generals and all the generals are selected by our masters.

[Soteris]

Because the US military has a good track record of winning irregular wars? What happened in Iraq and Afghanistan again?

[ShadezMcgee]

What relevance does that have to the question?

[Soteris]

@ShadezMcgee The whole premise of the question is "This matters because it decides the outcome of a potential civil war". It does not and honestly its not much of an interesting question in the way it has been phrased.

We could for example talk about the military as a group and ask who has managed to capture their vote, we could ask who is appealing to them and in what way, we could ask what the different parties has done for them etc.. All of those has potential for conversation. This is fundamentally a boring question that deserves a boring response.

[NathanDavis]

if that ever happened... they would make their own, if they're smart...

[Hispanic-Cool-Guy]

None. The military has no bias politically. Soliders there are warned not to bring their politics into the military and they are under the commander and chief and only serve the national interest of the United States, not political ideologies.

[Recurrence]

I bet they see themselves as a separate entity like how cops think

[EnglishEuropean]

The military supports the Republic. They won't support an illegal coup.

[fireforeffect]

After Barack Obama fired every officer above Col. that was Conservative, the Military is now very left wing.

[EmbraceThePain]

Definitely more right.

[Snakeyes7]

They should be pro liberty.

[OwwyPowwy234]

I don't think it has a political lean.