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Total Cost of USA's Wars Since 2001 Approaches $5 Trillion

posted by martyb on Tuesday October 25 2016, @10:49AM   Printer-friendly
from the aggression-is-expensive dept.

-- OriginalOwner_ writes:

The Intercept reports:

The total U.S. budgetary cost of war since 2001 is $4.79 trillion, according to a report [PDF] [...] from Brown University's Watson Institute. That's the highest estimate yet.

Neta Crawford of Boston University, the author of the report, included interest on borrowing, future veterans needs, and the cost of homeland security in her calculations.

The amount of $4.79 trillion, "so large as to be almost incomprehensible", she writes, adds up like this:

  • The wars in Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Syria, and other overseas operations already cost $1.7 trillion between 2001 and August 2016 with $103 billion more requested for 2017
  • Homeland Security terrorism prevention costs from 2001 to 2016 were $548 billion.
  • The estimated DOD base budget was $733 billion and veterans spending was $213 billion.
  • Interest incurred on borrowing for wars was $453 billion.
  • Estimated future costs for veterans' medical needs until the year 2053 is $1 trillion.
  • And the amounts the DOD, State Department, and Homeland Security have requested for 2017 ($103 billion).

Crawford carried out a similar study[PDF] in June 2014 that estimated the cost of war at $4.4 trillion.

Original Submission

 
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  • (Score: 4, Insightful) by bzipitidoo on Tuesday October 25 2016, @12:02PM

    by bzipitidoo (4388) on Tuesday October 25 2016, @12:02PM (#418488) Journal

    As if The Donald is such a peacenik? You counting on his love for Putin to keep us from going to war with Russia while we bomb bomb bomb, bomb bomb Iran? Or, who knows, maybe The Donald would start a war with Mexico if they refuse to pay for a wall.

    Hillary is a hawk. Who's going to stop her from going to war? Surely not a Republican Congress, they like war even more than she does. We the people are really the only ones.

    It's ridiculous that we're still in Afghanistan and Iraq. We settled Germany and Japan down after WWII, took about 10 years. Been 15 since we entered Afghanistan and the place is still a mess which we haven't figured out.

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  • (Score: 3, Informative) by Sulla on Tuesday October 25 2016, @02:31PM

    by Sulla (5173) on Tuesday October 25 2016, @02:31PM (#418564) Journal

    Only one candidate in this election promised to bomb Iran. And its not the Don.

    --
    Ceterum censeo Sinae esse delendam

    • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday October 25 2016, @06:04PM

      by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday October 25 2016, @06:04PM (#418645)

      Only one candidate has a known history of kicking it up with other countries. Still not the Don.

    • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday October 26 2016, @12:36AM

      by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday October 26 2016, @12:36AM (#418782)

      Brian Wilson [youtube.com] is running for POTUS?