With thousands more U.S. Marines headed to the Middle East and President Trump reportedly considering a ground invasion of Iran, we speak with Mike Prysner, executive director of the Center on Conscience and War, who says his organization has received a massive increase in inquiries from soldiers seeking to submit conscientious objector applications. Prysner cites a “shift in consciousness” among ...
The narrative presented here centers on a moral awakening within the U.S. military, driven by a generational shift in consciousness about war and interventionism. The strongest version of this argument highlights the tangible increase in conscientious objector applications, the specific catalyst of the Minab school bombing, and the broader context of the Gaza genocide influencing young service members. It credibly frames this as a grassroots resistance to perceived injustice, with legal and inst...