Center for Arms Control and Non-Proliferation

Total Iraq and Afghanistan Supplemental War Funding To Date

by Christopher Hellman [contact information]

by Travis Sharp [contact information]

Updated July 23, 2008

Download PDF fact sheet on Iraq and Afghanistan war costs

TOTAL IRAQ AND AFGHANISTAN SUPPLEMENTAL WAR FUNDING BY U.S. TO DATE
(Budget Authority in Billions of Dollars)

	FY01 & FY02	FY03	FY04	FY05	FY06	FY07	FY08	FY09 (To Date)	Total (To Date)
Iraq	0	53.0	75.9	85.5	101.7	133.6	158.0	53.4	661.1
Afghanistan	20.8	14.7	14.5	20.0	19.0	36.9	36.5	15.1	177.5
Enhanced Base Security	13.0	8.0	3.7	2.1	0.8	0.4	0.5	0	28.5
Subtotal	33.8	81.2	94.1	107.6	121.5	170.9	195.0	68.5	872.6
SOURCE AND NOTES: Analysis of Congressional Research Service data. Budget authority totals include war-related funding for DOD, the State Department, and the Department of Veterans Affairs. Enhanced Base Security signifies upgrades at U.S. military bases and other homeland security projects after September 11. FY03 subtotal of $81.2 billion includes $5.5 billion in funding that CRS cannot allocate. FY08 funding includes $16.8 billion for Mine Resistant Ambush Protected vehicles in the first FY08 continuing resolution and FY08 DOD Appropriations Bill.

WAR COSTS IN PERSPECTIVE

With $872.6 billion, the cost of the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan so far, the United States could fund...

...a year's worth of health care for 117 million Americans ($7,439/person)

...one year of public elementary school for 116 million children ($7,500/child)

...four years of public university tuition for 35 million students ($6,185/student)

...145 billion mosquito nets to help stop malaria in the developing world ($6/net)

...4.6 billion laptops to promote literacy in the developing world ($188/laptop)

If you had an expense account that let you spend $1 million dollars per day...

...it would take 2,391 years to spend $872.6 billion, the cost of Iraq and Afghanistan so far.

The cost of Iraq and Afghanistan laid out end-to-end in $100 bills...

...would extend 846,157.6 miles – or just short of 34 times around the Earth's circumference.

The conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan have cost each American family of four $11,458.

MORE SUPPLEMENTAL WAR FUNDING RESOURCES

Dec 2, 2009 Putting Afghanistan Troop Increase Costs in Perspective

Adding 30,000 additional U.S. troops to Afghanistan will cost $30 billion during Fiscal Year 2010. In this new fact sheet, Travis Sharp expresses this hefty sum in more accessible terms, including the cost per taxpayer, cost per minute, and opportunity cost.

Sep 8, 2009 Quick Facts about U.S. Military Operations in Afghanistan

This new fact sheet by Christopher Hellman presents quick facts about the U.S. commitment to Afghanistan, including updated information on troop levels, costs, and casualties.

Feb 26, 2009 Growth in U.S. Defense Spending Over the Last Decade

Over the last decade, U.S. defense spending has risen dramatically. National defense budgets have grown, in inflation-adjusted dollars, from $387 billion in FY 2000 to $694 billion in FY 2009, a real increase of 79%. DOD’s base budget, which excludes both war and nuclear weapons funding, also has grown steadily over the last decade, increasing from $370 billion in FY 2000 to $513 billion in FY 2009, a real increase of 39% or an average of $16 billion per year.

Feb 26, 2009 Current U.S. Defense Spending vs. Spending Since 1948

The United States spends significantly more, in FY 2009 inflation-adjusted dollars, for defense today than it did during the peak years of the Korean War (1952; $604 billion), the Vietnam War (1968; $513 billion), or the 1980s Reagan-era buildup (1985; $556 billion). U.S. defense spending is higher today than at any point since World War II.

Feb 26, 2009 U.S. Defense Spending vs. Global Defense Spending

The United States is far and away the global leader in defense spending. In 2007, the most recent year for which complete data is available, the United States spent more on defense than the next 14 highest spending countries in the world combined and accounted for 43% of the world’s total defense spending.

Mar 5, 2008 Problems with Using the Supplemental Budget Process to Fund Ongoing Military Operations in Iraq and Afghanistan

Six and a half years after the United States initiated the so-called "Global War on Terror" (GWOT) by invading Afghanistan, the continued use of emergency supplemental budgeting to fund the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan is undermining America's ability to plan responsibly for present and future threats.

Feb 25, 2008 U.S. Spending on Iraq and Afghanistan by Month, Week, Day, Hour, Minute, & Second

This chart shows how the United States spends $12.3 billion per month in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Feb 1, 2008 Historical Costs of Previous U.S. Wars

An overview of U.S. spending on historical wars adjusted for inflation.

Feb 1, 2008 Archive of Iraq and Afghanistan Supplemental War Funding Analyses

An archive of previous Center analyses on Iraq and Afghanistan supplemental war funding.