About WarCosts

WarCosts is a free, open, data-driven platform documenting every American war, military intervention, and covert operation since 1776 — the cost in dollars, lives, and liberty. We believe the public deserves to see the full picture, not just the version that fits a political narrative.

Mission Statement

To make the costs of American military power visible, measurable, and undeniable — through accurate data, honest analysis, and free public access.

We believe that a democratic republic cannot function without an informed citizenry. When the government wages war — the most consequential action any state can take — citizens have an absolute right to know: How much does it cost? How many people die? Who profits? And was it worth it?

These questions are not asked enough. The defense budget passes every year with bipartisan supermajorities and minimal public debate. Wars begin with bold promises and never seem to end. The Pentagon has never passed an audit. Veteran suicide claims 17 lives every day. And most Americans cannot name a single country where US forces are currently deployed.

WarCosts exists to change that — not through opinion or ideology, but through data.

Why This Matters

Since 1776, the United States has spent over $11.3 trillion on wars. Over 1 million Americans have been killed. Over 5 million civilians in other countries have died in American wars. The US has been at war for 229 of its 249 years.

These are not abstract numbers. They represent real people, real communities, and real choices. Every dollar spent on a missile is a dollar not spent on a school. Every soldier killed in an undeclared war is a constitutional failure. Every veteran who dies by suicide is a broken promise.

The Founders understood this. James Madison warned that “of all the enemies to public liberty, war is, perhaps, the most to be dreaded.” Eisenhower warned about the military-industrial complex. Smedley Butler called war a racket. These warnings went unheeded. The data on this site shows why they were right.

Perspective

WarCosts approaches military policy from a perspective of constitutional governance and individual liberty. We believe:

• The power to wage war belongs to Congress, as the Constitution requires — not to the President, not to 60 words written in 2001
• Citizens deserve full transparency about military spending and operations — including classified programs and hidden costs
• Every dollar spent on war is a dollar taken from citizens by force and not spent on schools, infrastructure, healthcare, or tax relief
• The human cost of war — on all sides — should be counted honestly, including civilian deaths, veteran suicide, displacement, and environmental destruction
• The military-industrial complex is real, its influence is documented, and its interests are not the same as the national interest
• A military sufficient for genuine national defense would cost far less than one designed to police the globe

These values are rooted in the classical liberal tradition and shared by thinkers from Thomas Jefferson to Dwight Eisenhower to Ron Paul. But you don't have to share our perspective to use our data. The numbers speak for themselves.

How to Use This Site

WarCosts is designed for researchers, journalists, students, educators, policymakers, veterans, and anyone who wants to understand the true cost of American military power:

• Dashboard — Start here for a high-level overview
• US Military Spending — The $886B annual budget in context
• Cost of War — $11.3 trillion across all conflicts
• US Wars List — Every war and intervention since 1776
• Modern Wars — Post-1995 operations
• Conflicts — Detailed data for each war
• Analysis — Deep dives into the military-industrial complex, blowback, and more
• Tools — Interactive calculators for your personal war cost
• Downloads — Raw data files for your own research

Data Sources

Our data comes from official government sources, peer-reviewed academic research, and established investigative organizations. We prioritize accuracy over sensationalism and use conservative estimates where uncertainty exists:

For complete source details, see our Sources page. For how we process and present this data, see our Methodology page.

No Paywall, No Ads, No Agenda

WarCosts is completely free. No login required. No ads. No paywall. No tracking. We have no defense industry sponsors, no political party affiliation, no think-tank funding, and no agenda beyond transparency. The data is the point.

A TheDataProject.ai Platform

WarCosts is the first platform in the TheDataProject.ai portfolio — a collection of free, data-driven transparency platforms covering topics where public access to clear, sourced data can improve democratic accountability. The thesis is simple: when citizens can see the numbers, they make better decisions.

Planned future platforms include:

• Healthcare costs — Making the true cost of American healthcare visible
• Government spending — Where every federal dollar goes
• Immigration data — Facts and figures, not rhetoric
• Criminal justice — The cost of mass incarceration

Contact & Contribute

Found an error? Have a data source we should include? Want to contribute analysis? We welcome corrections, suggestions, and contributions from researchers, veterans, journalists, and concerned citizens. Accuracy matters more than anything — if we got something wrong, we want to know.

All data is available for download on our Downloads page. We ask for attribution if used in published work.