Report: Tab for 'War on terrorism' tops $1 trillion
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Washington (CNN) -- The United States has spent more than $1 trillion on wars since the September 11, 2001, terror attacks, a recently released Congressional report says.
Adjusting for inflation, the outlays for conflicts in Afghanistan, Iraq and elsewhere around the world make the "war on terrorism" second only to World War II.
The report "Cost of Major U.S. Wars" by the Congressional Research Service attempts to compare war costs over a more than 230-year period -- from the American Revolution to the current day -- noting the difficulties associated with such a task.
Since the the 9/11 terror attacks, the United States has spent an estimated $1.15 trillion. World War II cost $4.1 trillion when converted to current dollars, although the tab in the 1940s was $296 billion.
World War II consumed a massive 36 percent of America's gross domestic product -- a broad measurement of the country's economic output. The post-9/11 cost of the conflicts is about 1 percent of GDP.
Comparisons of costs of wars over a 230-year period, however, are inherently problematic, the report says.
"One problem is how to separate costs of military operations from costs of forces in peacetime. In recent years, the DOD (Department of Defense) has tried to identify the additional 'incremental' expenses of engaging in military operations, over and above the costs of maintaining standing military forces."
"Figures are problematic, as well, because of difficulties in comparing prices from one vastly different era to another," according to the report. "Perhaps a more significant problem is that wars appear more expensive over time as the sophistication and cost of technology advances, both for military and for civilian activities."
The costs associated with the "war on terrorism" could still go much higher.
A Congressional Budget Office estimate from 2007 said the cost of the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq could total $2.4 trillion by 2017, more than double the current amount.
Adjusting for inflation, the outlays for conflicts in Afghanistan, Iraq and elsewhere around the world make the "war on terrorism" second only to World War II.
The report "Cost of Major U.S. Wars" by the Congressional Research Service attempts to compare war costs over a more than 230-year period -- from the American Revolution to the current day -- noting the difficulties associated with such a task.
Since the the 9/11 terror attacks, the United States has spent an estimated $1.15 trillion. World War II cost $4.1 trillion when converted to current dollars, although the tab in the 1940s was $296 billion.
World War II consumed a massive 36 percent of America's gross domestic product -- a broad measurement of the country's economic output. The post-9/11 cost of the conflicts is about 1 percent of GDP.
Comparisons of costs of wars over a 230-year period, however, are inherently problematic, the report says.
"One problem is how to separate costs of military operations from costs of forces in peacetime. In recent years, the DOD (Department of Defense) has tried to identify the additional 'incremental' expenses of engaging in military operations, over and above the costs of maintaining standing military forces."
"Figures are problematic, as well, because of difficulties in comparing prices from one vastly different era to another," according to the report. "Perhaps a more significant problem is that wars appear more expensive over time as the sophistication and cost of technology advances, both for military and for civilian activities."
The costs associated with the "war on terrorism" could still go much higher.
A Congressional Budget Office estimate from 2007 said the cost of the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq could total $2.4 trillion by 2017, more than double the current amount.
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this
you know the UN Security Council explicitly sanctioned against any attack on Iraq in an extension of the “war on terror”, and of course this was ignored because we know best right? in hindsight, is there anyone that honestly believes that this “war on terror” has brought the US government the security it desired?
Beautiful! :thumbup:
Neil deGrasse Tyson
Why not (V) (°,,,,°) (V) ?
Our government is the potent, the omnipresent teacher. For good or for ill, it teaches the whole people by its example. Crime is contagious. If the government becomes a law-breaker, it breeds contempt for law; it invites every man to become a law unto himself; it invites anarchy. - Louis Brandeis
it is easy to fund other things, yet we have pissed away a trillion dollars in to the litterboxes known as iraq and afghanistan...and for what??? a trillion...gone...not coming back...$700 billion for the pentagon this year...why??
now we can't fund things like unemployment or social security because we have fought 2 wars and not achieved our objectives...how stupid we look as americans..
"Well, you tell him that I don't talk to suckas."
Some have been all along, others are beginning to see the light:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kS1jUei7 ... r_embedded
This is probably the best 1 liner I've seen in a while here.
I'm sure we don't agree 100% on this issue, but I gotta give you props as it's thought provoking.
It is terrifying when you are too stupid to know who is dumb
- Joe Rogan
Remember when Obama promised us he'd end this war when he was elected?
Spare me the "bash-the-conservatives" crap.
imagine how the right wing of the media would crucify obama for "cutting and running" in iraq and afghanistan. do you really think beck, hannity, o'reilly, et al, all chicken hawks who never served, would be supportive of this? any true conservative would put their money where their mouth is and defund the wars. but that will never happen because the defense lobby is so far up their butts. so yes, the conservatives in congress are just as responsible for perpetuating the wars, it can even be argued that they are more responsible than obama because they keep voting to fund the wars...
"Well, you tell him that I don't talk to suckas."
Gimmesometruth27,
correct me if I'm wrong or help me out a little.... I heard somewhere, a while back, that Iraq has about 90 million in our banks, collecting interest, and we're forking out 10 billion in Iraq every month.... What's the deal? They are collecting interest off of us, we are spending every penny on Iraq, and we can't even give an American 350 for food. Damn capitalism can be a Bi@!! sometimes.... I guess the average American can now rest at night knowing that the terrorist have been destroyed. Now they just need to worry about the "illegal aliens"
Will you please correct me....
thank you,
"Well, you tell him that I don't talk to suckas."
that will never happen though...too much money at stake for too many powerful people...keep the war going and watch the money roll right in.....
"Well, you tell him that I don't talk to suckas."
It seriously makes me fucking sick.
Regardless of any of this, the lesson people should take away is not that the other party is no better, but simply both of these parties are not viable options to fix the problems we have in society or address worldly issues. But instead, people continue to look for blood from a stone and wonder why the same results persist.
Our government is the potent, the omnipresent teacher. For good or for ill, it teaches the whole people by its example. Crime is contagious. If the government becomes a law-breaker, it breeds contempt for law; it invites every man to become a law unto himself; it invites anarchy. - Louis Brandeis
No, he didn't create them, however he has continued Iraq and escalated Afghanistan so they are now his wars. They claim this new financial overhaul package signed into law will never allow another recession to happen, yet we are still in one. How about fix this one? People are losing jobs at the highest rate since the Depression, house prices are still falling, we don't manufacture hardly anything anymore, and people are holding and using credit to their max. It is a recipe for something much worse than we have seen.
I'm not usually in the sky is falling crowd but I've been saving certain items just in case lately. It is wise to be prepared.
Our government is the potent, the omnipresent teacher. For good or for ill, it teaches the whole people by its example. Crime is contagious. If the government becomes a law-breaker, it breeds contempt for law; it invites every man to become a law unto himself; it invites anarchy. - Louis Brandeis
might be one of the best things I have read on here in a while.
also, where does your name come from
It is terrifying when you are too stupid to know who is dumb
- Joe Rogan
Our government is the potent, the omnipresent teacher. For good or for ill, it teaches the whole people by its example. Crime is contagious. If the government becomes a law-breaker, it breeds contempt for law; it invites every man to become a law unto himself; it invites anarchy. - Louis Brandeis
It is terrifying when you are too stupid to know who is dumb
- Joe Rogan
Our government is the potent, the omnipresent teacher. For good or for ill, it teaches the whole people by its example. Crime is contagious. If the government becomes a law-breaker, it breeds contempt for law; it invites every man to become a law unto himself; it invites anarchy. - Louis Brandeis
as long as your rods and cones don't get messed up
It is terrifying when you are too stupid to know who is dumb
- Joe Rogan
Our government is the potent, the omnipresent teacher. For good or for ill, it teaches the whole people by its example. Crime is contagious. If the government becomes a law-breaker, it breeds contempt for law; it invites every man to become a law unto himself; it invites anarchy. - Louis Brandeis