Greater Cheyenne Chamber of Commerce Business Journal Q4 2014 | Page 34

our military
Americans Say Army Most Important
Branch to U.S. Defense
Marine Corps considered most prestigious branch by wide margin
Article originally published by Gallop Surveys
By: Dave Goldich and Art Swift
Americans believe that the U.S.
Army is the most important
service branch to national
defense, followed closely by the
Air Force. Fewer than one in five
choose the Marine Corps or the
Navy. The Army has edged out
other military branches in Gallup
surveys conducted throughout
the last decade.
Army Still Most Important,
Likely Because of Conflicts
in Iraq and Afghanistan
Gallup started asking Americans
about the importance of U.S.
military branches in the 1940s,
using a variety of questions over the
years. Americans until the mid2000s always viewed the Air Force
as the most important branch of the
military. And while it still ranks high
today, it no longer dominates. This
shift in opinion most likely stemmed
from the heavy ground combat in
Iraq and Afghanistan in the 2000s
and early 2010s. The Army, the
largest branch of the military, has
likely improved its standing in the
U.S. public’s eyes as a result of
the role it played in these conflicts.
Because the United States is far
removed geographically from

PG 34 l

Military Affairs

Europe, Asia, and the Middle East,
historically air power and sea power
have enjoyed prominence among
Americans in terms of national
defense.
Marines Continue to Lead
in Prestige; Coast Guard
Trails Other Branches
Importance does not necessarily
equal prestige, however. While
the Army has held a thin lead in
perceived importance to the United
States’ national defense over the
last decade, the Marine Corps has
consistently been considered the
nation’s most prestigious military
branch, widening its lead over the
Air Force and Army during the same
period. Currently, nearly half of
Americans (47%) say the Marines
are the most prestigious, with the
Air Force a distant second, at 17%.

Prior to 9/11 and the Iraq and
Afghanistan wars, a May 2001
Gallup poll found that Americans
narrowly considered the Marine
Corps the most prestigious military
branch over the Air Force. Since
2002, the American public’s
admiration for the Marines has
clearly increased. This might
be attributable to the Marines’
conspicuous presence in movies,
television, and other forms of media.
Further, the Marine Corps, being a
smaller force, may be considered
to be more “elite” with higher
standards.
Despite successful Navy SEALs
raids that killed al Qaeda leader
Osama bin Laden in 2011 and
helped rescue the captain of the
merchant marine vessel Maersk
Alabama from pirates in an incident
that was the basis of the movie