Final answer:
Military leaders want the U.S. to address poverty due to its impact on global stability and its linkages to national security. Poverty can foster conditions for extremism, undercut democratic values, and lead to conflicts, hence addressing it can serve as a preventative security measure.
Step-by-step explanation:
Military leaders may advocate for the U.S. to do more to address poverty because of the stability it can bring to regions and its potential impact on national security. The idea is that poverty can lead to unrest, which in turn can foster the conditions for extremism and conflict. This has been a concern throughout history, where poverty has often been seen as a breeding ground for dissatisfaction and subsequently, a threat to peace and security.
Military strategists and policymakers have long recognized that providing economic development and meeting basic human needs can undermine the appeal of extremist ideologies and reduce the likelihood of conflict. Addressing poverty therefore can be seen as a preventative measure to maintain global stability and support national security interests. For instance, the Truman administration emphasized the importance of supporting free peoples around the world in maintaining their freedoms, partly as a countermeasure against totalitarian regimes that thrive in conditions of poverty and despair.
Furthermore, on a domestic level, failure to promote equity and provide for citizens' basic needs can result in social and economic strain, contributing to civil unrest and undermining national morale and cohesion. Hence, the long- and short-term consequences of not working to reduce poverty and promote equality include increasing socio-economic disparity, potential growth in extremism, undermining democratic values, and potentially more frequent and intense conflicts.