Historical Costs of Previous U.S. Wars
by Christopher Hellman [contact information]
by Travis Sharp [contact information]
Updated July 3, 2008
HISTORICAL COSTS OF PREVIOUS U.S. WARS (In 2007 Dollars)
| World War II | $3.2 trillion |
| Iraq and Afghanistan To Date | $808 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. |
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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 ext. 2105 tsharp@armscontrolcenter.org
Travis Sharp is the Military Policy Analyst at the Center for Arms Control and Non-Proliferation. He has published articles on defense policy in scholarly journals, internet magazines, and local newspapers, and has appeared on or been quoted in media venues such as the New York Times, Washington Post, Boston Globe, CNN, and Al Jazeera.