Send Troops to Fight ISIS! Just Not Me.

Harvard’s Institute of Politics just published a new national poll of 18-to-29-year-olds, so-called Millennials.

After the Paris attacks, 60% of those polled support sending U.S. ground troops to fight ISIS.

Solid Majority of America’s 18- to 29- Year-Olds Support Sending Ground Troops to Combat ISIS. Early fall 2015 IOP polling fielded before the Nov. 13 Paris terrorist attacks showed America’s youth split over whether to send U.S. ground troops to combat ISIS, with 48% saying they supported the action (48%: oppose) — a nine percentage-point drop in support over the past eight months (Mar. 2015: 57% support, 40% oppose). However, IOP polling re-fielded the question following the Nov. 13 Paris terrorist attacks — finding a 12 percentage-point swing in support with a strong majority (60%) of young Americans supporting sending U.S. ground troops to combat ISIS (40%: oppose).

So Millenials want U.S. troops to fight ISIS! Great idea! Are those 60% — all prime-aged for military service — willing to join the fight they are supporting?

Not so fast.

When asked how likely they would be to serve, 16% said they “have already,” “would definitely” or “would strongly consider” joining the U.S. military to combat ISIS if additional troops were needed

At a generous clip — many of those who “would strongly consider” will decide otherwise — 44% believe ISIS should be engaged and that someone else should do it. This is scary.

If not them, who, exactly, should fight ISIS on foreign lands?

For fifteen years, 99% of our society has answered this central question with two words: “someone else”.

This is not a military question; it is a civic one. Our answer has broad societal and socioeconomic implications. As we enter another year of war, we need to find a better answer than someone else.