How much have US wars in the Middle East and Afghanistan cost?

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The decades-long subject engagement of the United States successful the Middle East expanded erstwhile again this week aft its warplanes bombed astatine slightest 3 of Iran’s atomic facilities.

According to a briefing by US General Dan Caine, president of the associated chiefs of staff, 7 B-2 stealth bombers, each valued astatine astir $2.1bn, dropped astatine slightest 14 bunker-buster bombs worthy millions connected Fordow and Natanz.

In total, much than 125 US craft participated successful the mission, including bombers, fighters, tankers, surveillance aircraft, and enactment crews, each costing hundreds of millions of dollars to deploy and operate.

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The US spends much connected its subject than immoderate different state successful the world, much than the adjacent 9 countries combined, spending astir 3 times much than China and astir 7 times much than Russia.

In 2024, the US spent $997bn connected its military, accounting for 37 percent of each planetary subject spending, according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI).

The quality outgo of US-led wars

According to an investigation by Brown University’s Watson Institute of International & Public Affairs, US-led wars since 2001 straight caused the deaths of astir 940,000 radical crossed Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iraq, Syria, Yemen, and different post-9/11 struggle zones.

This does not see indirect deaths, namely those caused by nonaccomplishment of entree to food, healthcare, oregon war-related diseases. These indirect deaths are estimated to beryllium 3.6 to 3.8 million, bringing the full decease toll, including nonstop and indirect deaths, to betwixt 4.5 and 4.7 cardinal and counting.

During that time, astatine slightest 30,000 US subject personnel, contractors, and allied troops were besides killed. This includes astatine slightest 7,052 soldiers, 8,189 contractors, and 14,874 allied troops.

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Half a cardinal radical killed successful Afghanistan, Iraq wars

The warfare successful Afghanistan began connected October 7, 2001, arsenic a effect to the September 11 attacks and aimed to destruct al-Qaeda and region the Taliban from power. Less than 2 years later, connected March 20, 2003, the US and its allies launched the warfare successful Iraq, aiming to destruct its alleged weapons of wide demolition (WMDs) and region Saddam Hussein from power. However, nary stockpiles of WMDs were ever found.

Spanning astir 20 years, the Afghanistan conflict, including those killed successful the bordering regions of Pakistan, became the astir prolonged subject engagement successful US past and resulted successful an estimated 243,000 nonstop deaths. In Iraq, astir 315,000 radical were straight killed during the war.

Together, they relationship for astatine slightest 558,000 nonstop deaths betwixt October 2001 and August 2021, according to the Watson Institute.

The economical outgo of US-led wars

The US has spent an estimated $5.8 trillion backing its much than 2 decades of war.

This includes $2.1 trillion spent by the Department of Defense (DOD), $1.1 trillion by Homeland Security, $884bn to summation the DOD basal budget, $465bn connected veterans’ aesculapian care, and an further $1 trillion successful involvement payments connected loans taken retired to money the war.

US continues to wage for its wars

In summation to the $5.8 trillion already spent, the US is expected to walk astatine slightest $2.2 trillion connected obligations for veterans’ attraction implicit the adjacent 30 years.

This brings the full estimated outgo of US wars since 2001 to $8 trillion.

US backing of Israel’s genocide successful Gaza

Israel has consistently been the largest recipient of US overseas aid, having received astatine slightest $251.2bn successful inflation-adjusted dollars since 1959, according to Brown University’s Watson Institute. Since 2016, the US has committed to giving Israel $3.8bn per twelvemonth nether a 10-year memorandum of understanding, which runs done 2028. Most of this is allocated arsenic Foreign Military Financing.

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However, successful the twelvemonth pursuing the October 2023 attacks, the US provided an further $17.9bn successful subject assistance to Israel, the highest yearly full ever. This includes $6.8bn successful subject financing, $4.5bn for rocket defence and $4.4bn connected replenishing arms to Israel from US stocks.