The McCormick study found a different public attitude about military news providers—whether print and broadcast newsmen on one hand or military spokesmen on the other. The public has grown more skeptical of the media, with only 61 percent saying the mass media keeps them well informed on military and national security issues. Just five years ago, it was 79 percent. Military spokesmen, they say, do not provide enough info. The percent who felt the military was forthcoming dropped from 77 to 54 in five years.
The U.S. military is maintaining a beefed-up presence in the Middle East, including fighters and air defense assets, following the U.S. strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities June 22 and subsequent retaliation by the Iranians against Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar.
