The Price of American Empire
Every US war, intervention, and military action — the cost in dollars, lives, and liberty.
$11.5T
Total Cost
1,049,463
Americans Killed
5.2M+
Civilians Killed
36
Major Conflicts
469
Military interventions since 1798
$28K/sec
Current military spending rate
13W–5L–13I
Win/Loss/Inconclusive record
26 of 36
Wars without Congress
26 of 36
Undeclared Wars
No congressional authorization
750
Overseas Bases
In 80 countries
$886.0B
Annual Budget
3.4% of GDP
$8.0T
War on Terror
940,000 killed
$68.0B
Foreign Aid
Per year
Since 2001, the US has spent $8.0T and lost 940,000 lives
in the War on Terror
78 countries. 38 million displaced. 5 operations still ongoing.
6 Active Operations
Major Conflicts
Vietnam War
Defeat1955–1975 · Southeast Asia
$1.0T
Cost
58,220
US Deaths
2,000,000
Civilian Deaths
Afghanistan
Defeat2001–2021 · Central Asia
$2.3T
Cost
2,461
US Deaths
176,000
Civilian Deaths
Iraq War
Pyrrhic victory / Strategic defeat2003–2011 · Middle East
$2.0T
Cost
4,599
US Deaths
300,000
Civilian Deaths
Korean War
Stalemate / Armistice1950–1953 · East Asia
$389.0B
Cost
36,574
US Deaths
2,000,000
Civilian Deaths
World War II
Victory (Allied)1941–1945 · Europe / Pacific / North Africa
$4.8T
Cost
405,399
US Deaths
—
Civilian Deaths
Gulf War
Victory1990–1991 · Middle East
$136.0B
Cost
383
US Deaths
3,500
Civilian Deaths
What Else Could $8.0T Buy?
The War on Terror alone cost $8.0T. Here's what that money could have done instead.
101×
Free public college for all Americans (4 years)
Could have funded free college for over a century.
222×
Universal pre-K for every child
Over 200 years of universal pre-K.
400×
Clean drinking water for entire world
400 years of clean water for every human on earth.
400×
End homelessness in America
Could end homelessness 400 times over.
127M×
Elementary school teachers' annual salary
127 million teacher-years.
107M×
Average American household income
A year's income for 107 million families.
“Every gun that is made, every warship launched, every rocket fired signifies, in the final sense, a theft from those who hunger and are not fed.”
— Dwight D. Eisenhower, 1953
Analysis
The War on Terror: $8 Trillion Later
929,000 dead. Four countries destabilized. Was it worth it?
19 Wars Without Congress
How presidents bypassed the Constitution to wage war.
Blowback
How US interventions created the enemies of tomorrow.
The Military-Industrial Complex
Eisenhower warned us. We didn't listen.
The Human Cost
17 veterans take their own lives every day.
Empire of Bases
750 bases in 80 countries. Why?