Gallup has updated its Iraq polling this week, including a regional and demographic breakdown of those who now say it was a mistake to deploy troops to Iraq. According to the polling organization, a majority of 18 to 29 year olds (55 percent) and 50 to 64 year olds (54 percent) feel it was a mistake to send troops. Those Americans ages 30 to 49 are more divided: 50 percent think it was a mistake; 49 percent don’t. Regionally, 60 percent of easterners think the Iraq war was a mistake while only 48 percent of those identified as southerners said the same thing. See the graph.
The final version of the fiscal 2026 defense policy bill calls for adding $1.2 billion to the Space Force’s research and development accounts, an increase that’s mostly split between two efforts: expanding the service’s low-Earth orbit data transport network and boosting its space-based missile warning and tracking capabilities.
