The true cost of US wars — what the daily figures hide
Full lifecycle costs in 2026 dollars, including veterans care and interest on war debt. Hover over bars for breakdown.
Direct military operations
Veterans care (lifetime)
Interest on war debt
Base budget / other
Vietnam total
~$1.3T
Afghanistan total
~$2.3T
Iraq total
~$3.7T
Iran minimum projection
~$2.2T+
“The Bush administration said Iraq would cost $40 billion. By 2008 we found the real cost would be at least $3 trillion.” — Linda Bilmes, Harvard Kennedy School
“My kids’ kids, and probably their kids, are going to be paying for this.” — Senior Pentagon official, March 2026
Sources: Brown University Costs of War Project · Harvard Kennedy School (Linda Bilmes) · CSIS · Penn Wharton Budget Model · The Intercept · NPR Planet Money · All figures in 2026 dollars · Iran figures are minimum projections