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 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

Jun 16, 2008 Despite Soaring Budgets, Pentagon's Weapons Acquisitions Process Falters

The past decade has seen incredible growth in the amount of money spent by the United States on its national defense. But DOD can only recover from the past and present, while preparing for the future, if it fixes the acquisitions process and starts giving American taxpayers the return-on-investment they deserve. Steps must be taken right away to ameliorate the crisis in weapons acquisitions.

Apr 17, 2008 Iraq War Senate Appropriations Hearing: Nussle's Nonsense Distorts the Record

On April 16, the Senate Appropriations Committee held a hearing on Iraq war funding with Office of Management and Budget Director Jim Nussle. Nussle was subjected to a flurry of tough questions from Democratic and Republicans lawmakers, many of whom expressed frustration over the administration's refusal to finance the wars through more transparent budgetary processes. Senators had every right to be upset: Nussle's testimony was riddled with misleading half-truths and outright inaccuracies.

Apr 15, 2008 Tying U.S. Defense Spending to GDP: Bad Logic, Bad Policy

Arguing that defense spending is historically low as a percentage of GDP, and therefore must be increased, is a bit like a landlord arguing that because a tenant received a much-deserved pay raise, their rent should be increased automatically. Intelligent defense planning relies on requirements, tradeoffs, and a thorough evaluation of risk – not GDP – to determine need. Tying defense spending to GDP enables the Pentagon to further delay tough choices about force structure and continue its current push for more research and procurement dollars going towards weaponry that may be useless in future Iraq-style conflicts. Defense spending should remain subject to budgetary survival of the fittest.

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 22, 2008 U.S. Military Spending vs. The World in 2008

The U.S. military budget is the world's largest, and it continues to grow. This collection of resources compares U.S. spending to the rest of the world.

Feb 20, 2008 2008-2009 U.S. Defense Spending Highest Since WWII, Tops Vietnam and Korea

This graph compares U.S. defense spending in 2008 and 2009 to previous historical highs during World War II, Korea, Vietnam, and the Reagan-era buildup. All figures are in 2008 dollars.

Feb 20, 2008 U.S. Defense Spending, 2001-2009

This graph shows the growth in U.S. defense spending from 2001 to 2009.

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.