The 2010s
10 active conflicts · Obama, Trump
5 conflicts started · 2 ended
$6055B
Military Budget (Total)
10
Active Conflicts
$4.6T
War Cost
7,239
US Deaths
$606B
Avg/Year
$691B
Peak Year
$546B
Low Year
703,650
Civilian Deaths
2
Authorized
8
Unauthorized
📖 The 2010s in Context
The 2010s saw the War on Terror metastasize: Libya intervention (2011), Syrian civil war involvement, the rise and fall of ISIS, drone campaigns across Africa and the Middle East, and the never-ending operations in Afghanistan and Iraq. Obama conducted more drone strikes than Bush. The Afghanistan Papers revealed systematic lying about the war's progress. Military spending remained at historically elevated levels despite no existential threat. The decade ended with over 800 U.S. military bases in 70+ countries.
📊 Military Spending Trend
Military Spending by Year (Billions)
🎭 Cultural Context
Drone warfare became normalized. Edward Snowden revealed mass surveillance. "Lone survivor" and "American Sniper" dominated war film. The "forever wars" narrative emerged. Veterans' mental health crisis — 22 suicides per day.
🏛️ Presidents
🔥 Conflicts Started
Libya Intervention
❌War on Terror2011–2011 · $1.5B · Regime change / State collapse
“Probably failing to plan for the day after what I think was the right thing to do in intervening in ...”
Niger & Sahel Operations
❌War on Terror2013–2024 · $600M · Withdrawal
“I didn't know there was 1,000 troops in Niger. This is an endless war without boundaries, without li...”
Syrian Civil War Intervention
❌War on Terror2014–2025 · $30B · Ongoing / ISIS territorial defeat
“We always wanted Bashar Assad to go, we always preferred the bad guys who weren't backed by Iran to ...”
War Against ISIS
❌War on Terror2014–Present · $115B · Partial Victory
“If you want to know who created ISIS, take a look at what happened in Iraq after the U.S. invaded....”
Yemen War (Saudi Support)
❌War on Terror2015–2025 · $10B · Ongoing humanitarian catastrophe
“The United States is complicit in the worst humanitarian catastrophe on the planet....”
⚔️ All Active Conflicts
War in Afghanistan
War on Terror2001–2021 · $2.3T · Defeat
Global War on Terror (Other Operations)
War on Terror2001–Present · $60B · Ongoing
Iraq War
War on Terror2003–2011 · $2T · Pyrrhic victory / Strategic defeat
Global Drone Campaign
War on Terror2004–Present · $30B · Ongoing
Somalia (AFRICOM Operations)
War on Terror2007–Present · $4.5B · Ongoing
Libya Intervention
War on Terror2011–2011 · $1.5B · Regime change / State collapse
Niger & Sahel Operations
War on Terror2013–2024 · $600M · Withdrawal
Syrian Civil War Intervention
War on Terror2014–2025 · $30B · Ongoing / ISIS territorial defeat
War Against ISIS
War on Terror2014–Present · $115B · Partial Victory
Yemen War (Saudi Support)
War on Terror2015–2025 · $10B · Ongoing humanitarian catastrophe
📅 Key Events
- ▸2011 AFRICOM takes over operations — Somalia (AFRICOM)
- ▸2013 US deploys troops to Niger — Niger/Sahel
- ▸2014 US Special Forces in 149 countries (75% of the world) — GWOT (Other)
- ▸2014 ISIS captures Mosul; declares caliphate. US airstrikes begin August — Anti-ISIS
- ▸2015 US deploys Special Forces to Syria — Anti-ISIS
- ▸2016 $110M drone base construction begins in Agadez — Niger/Sahel
- ▸2016 Battle of Mosul begins — Anti-ISIS
- ▸2017 Green Berets killed in Niger — public learns of African operations — GWOT (Other)
- ▸2017 Trump dramatically escalates strikes — more in 2017-2020 than all prior years combined — Somalia (AFRICOM)
- ▸2017 Four US soldiers killed in Tongo Tongo ambush — public learns troops are in Niger — Niger/Sahel
- ▸2017 Mosul liberated; Raqqa falls to US-backed SDF — Anti-ISIS
- ▸2019 ISIS territorial caliphate collapses. Al-Baghdadi killed in US raid — Anti-ISIS