Sunday, June 28, 2009

The Cost of War

Here is an interesting table from a post by the U.S. Navy:

Military Costs of Major U.S. Wars

(Updated to Include Appropriations Enacted Through June 30, 2008)
 Years of War SpendingPeak Year of War Spending
Total Military Cost of War in Millions/Billions of DollarsWar Cost % GDP in Peak Year of WarTotal Defense % GDP in Peak Year of War
American Revolution
Current Year $
Constant FY2008$
1775-1783
101 million
1,825 million
 
NANA
War of 1812
Current Year $
Constant FY2008$
1812-1815
90 million
1,177 million
1813
2.2%2.7%
Mexican War
Current Year $
Constant FY2008$
1846-1849
71 million
1,801 million
1847
1.4%1.9%
Civil War: Union
Current Year $
Constant FY2008$
1861-1865
3,183 million
45,199 million
1865
11.3%11.7%
Civil War: Confederacy
Current Year $
Constant FY2008$
1861-1865
1,000 million
15,244 million
 
NANA
Spanish American War
Current Year $
Constant FY2008$
1898-1899
283 million
6,848 million
1899
1.1%1.5%
World War I
Current Year $
Constant FY2008$
1917-1921
20 billion
253 billion
1919
13.6%14.1%
World War II
Current Year $
Constant FY2008$
1941-1945
296 billion
4,114 billion
1945
35.8%37.5%
Korea
Current Year $
Constant FY2008$
1950-1953
30 billion
320 billion
1952
4.2%13.2%
Vietnam
Current Year $
Constant FY2008$
1965-1975
111 billion
686 billion
1968
2.3%9.5%
Persian Gulf War /a/
Current Year $
Constant FY2008$
1990-1991
61 billion
96 billion
1991
0.3%4.6%
Iraq /b/
Current Year $
Constant FY2008$
2003-Present
616 billion
648 billion
2008
1.0%4.2%
Afghanistan/GWOT /b,c/
Current Year $
Constant FY2008$
2001-Present
159 billion
171 billion
2007
0.3%4.0%
Post-9/11 Domestic Security (Operation Noble Eagle) /b/
Current Year $
Constant FY2008$
2001-Present
28 billion
33 billion
2003
0.1%3.7%
Total Post-9/11--Iraq, Afghanistan/GWOT, ONE /d/
Current Year $
Constant FY2008$
2001-Present
809 billion
859 billion
2008
1.2%4.2%


I don't think a lot of people believe they got their "money's worth" by spending $648 billion (in 2008 dollars) for the Iraq War's part of the GWOT (Global War on Terror). It was a war of "choice". Saddam Hussein was already contained and had not part in the 9/11 attacks. This was purely a war to satisfy the cravings of the neocons to "reshape" the Middle East. Instead, they've managed to reshape America because they plunged the country into huge deficits just before th criminal greed of Wall Street plunged America into a financial meltdown. It is disaster piled on disaster. Nobody wanted that. But George Bush delivered!

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