The Cost of American Wars Over Time: Burning Through Rp135,000 Trillion

War always comes with extremely high costs. Behind missile launches, aircraft carrier deployments, and various military operations lies a bill that can reach billions to trillions of US dollars. These costs not only emerge during active conflicts but continue to burden nations for years after the conflict ends.

The United States is one of the clearest examples. As the world’s most powerful military nation, the US has disbursed enormous sums to finance wars and military operations across various regions.

From post-9/11 wars over the past 25 years, military aid to Israel, to the latest operations in the Middle East, all demonstrate that war is an extraordinarily expensive decision.

The costs of US wars are documented in the Costs of War Project, which conducts and publishes research on the enduring impact of American wars following the 9/11 attacks, including wars in Afghanistan, Iraq, and other regions; costs of US global military operations; and domestic impacts of US military spending.

Established in 2010 and based at Brown University’s Watson Institute for International and Public Affairs, the Costs of War Project was built through contributions from more than 70 academics, experts, human rights activists, and physicians from various countries worldwide.

The Expensive Legacy of Post-9/11 Wars

The costs of US wars in the past two decades have been recorded as exceptionally large. Based on findings from the Costs of War Project at Brown University, the total costs of wars following the 9/11 attacks, including wars in Afghanistan and Iraq as well as military operations in Pakistan, Syria, and several other regions, reached approximately US$8 trillion, or roughly Rp135.2 trillion (US$1 = Rp16,900).

American military operations in the war against terrorism continue to occur widely across various parts of the world. Recent research shows Washington conducted counterterrorism operations in dozens of countries over the past several years.

Stephanie Savell, an anthropologist and Director of the Costs of War Project and Senior Fellow at Brown University, noted that between 2021 and 2023, the US government conducted counterterrorism operations in 78 countries.

These operations included ground combat in at least nine countries and airstrikes in at least four countries during the first three years of the Biden administration.

However, the number of countries hosting such operations has actually declined slightly compared to the 2018-2020 period, when US counterterrorism operations were recorded in 85 countries.

This figure does not even include the cost of future debt interest. In other words, the actual burden of war could potentially be even greater, since some financing was conducted through debt that ultimately increases government obligations in the long term.

War costs do not cease when fighting ends. Brown University estimates that the costs of caring for post-9/11 war veterans will reach US$2.2 trillion to US$2.5 trillion by 2050. Most of this burden remains incompletely paid even to this day.

Not Just War, Rivalry Is Also Expensive

US military spending does not only spike when open warfare breaks out. In the same report, the US is said to have spent approximately US$260 billion per year since 2012 to confront China militarily, as part of the pivot to Asia strategy that began during President Barack Obama’s administration.

This demonstrates that military costs do not always emerge in the form of open warfare. Geopolitical tensions, arms races, and deployment of military power in strategic regions also consume enormous budgets.

Aid to Israel Following Hamas Attacks

A new burden emerged after Hamas’s attack on Israel on 7 October 2023. According to the Costs of War Project, in the two years following that attack, the US government has disbursed US$21.7 billion in military aid to Israel.

Additionally, the US is said to have spent an additional approximately US$9.65 billion to US$12.07 billion for military operations in Yemen and surrounding regions. Combined, total US spending for wars following 7 October 2023 reaches approximately US$31.35 billion to US$33.77 billion, and the figure continues to increase.

The 2026 US-Iran War: Six Days, Already Exceeding US$11.3 Billion

The enormous costs of war are also evident from the latest conflict between the US and Iran. In a closed briefing to US congressional members, the Pentagon stated that the costs of war against Iran exceeded US$11.3 billion in just the first six days.

However, this figure is believed to not represent the full actual costs of war. The initial estimate is said to encompass primarily expenditures for ammunition, whilst several other components likely remain incompletely calculated, such as troop deployments to the region, medical costs, logistics, and replacement of military aircraft lost in the war.

In other words, the US$11.3 billion figure is likely only part of the total costs that ultimately must be borne.

The Cost of Weapons Is Extremely High

In the latest war between the United States and Iran in 2026, the high costs of military operations are inseparable from the use of precision munitions with extremely high prices. At the beginning of the attacks, the US is said to have used advanced weapons such as the AGM-154 Joint Standoff Weapon, a guided bomb with prices ranging from approximately US$578,000 to US$836,000 per unit.

As operations progressed, the Pentagon began shifting to cheaper ammunition, such as Joint Direct Attack Munition (JDAM). For this type, the smallest warhead costs approximately US$1,000, whilst the guidance kit costs approximately US$38,000.

This shift demonstrates that in the latest US-Iran war, military costs are not only influenced by the number of attacks, but also by the type of weaponry utilised.