The Cost of Iraq War

Article Summary: Cost of Iraq War: Timeline, Economic Impact

The Iraq War was a military conflict that lasted seven years (2003-2011), and cost the US an astounding $1.038 trillion. The Iraq War was part of the War on Terror, that was launched in response to the 9/11 terrorist attack by al-Qaida. The war included increases to the Department of Defense and the Veterans Administration base budgets. This war is the second largest war, money wise, only war in which the US spent more is the Second World War (its cost was $4.1 trillion in inflation-adjusted dollars). When US first invaded Iraq with massive bombing and ground invasion in 2003 it costed around $92 billion, and in the years to come that number just kept rising, reaching its top in 2009 when the cost of the Iraq War for that year went above $135 billion. In 2010 the cost dropped and kept going down until finally in 2011 all troops left Iraq.

During this war 4,488 US soldiers were killed and 32,226 were wounded (10% of wounded died, 20% are being treated for traumatic brain injuries and 20% have either PTSD or depression). Another 796 suffered major limb amputation, while 235 died from self-inflicted wounds while serving in Iraq.

“The cost of the Iraq War wasn't felt by most American families at the time. First, there was no draft as there was in the Vietnam War or World War II. Second, there was no additional tax. As a result, the cost was born by those who served and their families, and by future generations who will pay for the addition to the debt. (The Balance)”

Why did US involve themselves voluntarily into the Middle East problems when all they had were suspicions that Iraq was making weapons of mass destruction? Even if they had been doing that, there was no open threat to the US and no attacks on them. The 9/11 was a response from al-Qaida to the suppression they had to stand on their own land by the US. Who knows what would have happened if the US didn’t involve themselves in the middle-eastern problems, maybe there would be no 9/11, maybe it would be even worse, but now there is no way for us to know.