American War And Military Spending Has Cost U.S Taxpayers $5.9 Trillion Post 9/11 Attacks

In a study revealed by the Watson Institute of Brown University, United States has spent a whopping amount of $5.9 trillion on war post 9/11 attacks including direct war and other war-related spendings.

This amount is $2 trillion more than all federal government spending during the recently completed 2017-18 fiscal year. This number differs starkly from the figure given by the Pentagon house because it includes not only war appropriations made to the Department of Defense such as spendings made in war zones of Iraq, Syria, Afghanistan, Pakistan and other places but also spending across governments that are a consequence of these wars.

For instance, U.S war-related spending in the fiscal year 2019 is $4.9 trillion but because it is contractually and morally obligated to pay for for the care of the post 9/11 veterans through their lifetime, it is prudent to include the costs of care (which accounts for the remaining $1 trillion) for existing post-9/11 veterans through the next several decades.

Photo: Watson Institute report

The report further showed that homeland security spending for prevention and response to terrorism amounted to $924 billion between 2001 and 2019. The study argues that war costs are not restricted to only budgetary costs. There are many numbers associated with the US post-9/11 wars: 17 years of fighting; thousands of US soldiers killed and many thousands more injured; hundreds of thousands of civilians killed; millions of refugees; and the costs go on.

Since the nation has focused its spending only on direct military spending, the larger budgetary costs have therefore been underestimated. So basically, the American taxpayers' money is funding U.S war funds. The report called for a stringent action that would change its current strategy in order to avoid large debt and rising interest rates.

There is no strategy that would end the current wars. Nor is there a strategy for responsibly paying for these wars. A statement in the report read, ¡°We cannot begin to weigh the costs, risks and benefits of these wars, and ensure accountability, without transparency about costs.¡± urging that there is a need for more accountability so that lawmakers and policy makers can make informed choices.

Photo: Watson Institute report

The study highlights that the excessive amounts of funds that the U.S. spends on military and war-related purposes maybe diminishing it of its capacity to deal with other issues that are facing it, such as climate change and emission of greenhouse gases.¡±The United States and the rest of the world do face grave security, economic and survival threats in the present and future from climate change caused by greenhouse gas emissions.¡±

Finally, the report concludes that a hefty amount of spending in war-related matters posed a national security concern for the U.S because they are unsustainable. Development of a comprehensive strategy to end the wars and deal with other urgent national security priorities would serve the public better.