Historical Costs of Previous U.S. Wars
by Christopher Hellman [contact information]
by Travis Sharp [contact information]
Updated February 1, 2008
HISTORICAL COSTS OF PREVIOUS U.S. WARS (In 2007 Dollars)
| World War II | $3.2 trillion |
| Iraq and Afghanistan To Date | $695.7 billion ($655 billion in DOD costs) |
| Vietnam War | $670 billion |
| World War I | $364 billion |
| Korean War | $295 billion |
| Persian Gulf War | $94 billion |
| Civil War (both Union and Confederate costs) | $81 billion |
| Spanish-American War | $7 billion |
| American Revolution | $4 billion |
| Mexican War | $2 billion |
| War of 1812 | $1 billion |
Source: Congressional Research Service and Office of Management and Budget data. |
|
For more information:
- Total Iraq and Afghanistan Supplemental War Funding To Date
- U.S. Spending on Iraq and Afghanistan by Month, Week, Day, Hour, Minute, & Second
- Historical Costs of Previous U.S. Wars
- FY 2009 Pentagon (DOD) Defense Budget Spending Request
- U.S. Defense Spending, 2001-2009
- 2008-2009 U.S. Defense Spending Highest Since WWII, Tops Vietnam and Korea
- Comparing the Defense Share of the FY 2009 Discretionary Budget Request to Other Programs
- FY 2009 Global Military Spending
Christopher Hellman 202-546-0795 chellman@armscontrolcenter.org
Christopher Hellman is the Military Policy Fellow at the Center for Arms Control and Non-Proliferation where his work focuses on national security spending, military planning and policy, trends in the defense industry, global military spending, and homeland security. Hellman is a frequent media commentator on these issues. Previously, Hellman worked for the Center for Defense Information, Physicians for Social Responsibility, and spent ten years as a congressional staffer working on national security and foreign policy issues.
Travis Sharp 202-546-0795 x123 tsharp@armscontrolcenter.org
Travis Sharp is the Military Policy Analyst at the Center for Arms Control and Non-Proliferation where he performs policy work on national security spending, military policy, and Iraq. He has published letters and articles in the New York Times, Los Angeles Times, Washington Post, Foreign Policy in Focus, United Press International, and Peace Review.