The Cost of the War on Terror

Since the September 11 terror attacks in the United States, the U.S. has racked up costs of almost $6 trillion in its War on Terror. This is according to a new Watson Institute for International and Public Affairs analysis. Unlike official estimates from the Pentagon, the study takes into account not just Department of Defense costs, but also spending from across the federal government - past and obligated spending for war veterans’ care, for example.

The human cost of the wars in Afghanistan, Pakistan and Iraq is also significant. The upper estimate for deaths caused directly by these conflicts (on all sides, civilian and military) is over 507 thousand. The lower estimate is hardly small, either, coming in at 480 thousand.