Biden
9 conflicts · $113.5B total war cost · 55 US deaths
$113.5B
War Cost
55
US Deaths
9
Conflicts
$3210B
Military Budget (Total $B)
1
Authorized by Congress
9
No Authorization
198,680
Civilian Deaths
📖 War Record Analysis
Joe Biden executed the Afghanistan withdrawal — the right decision, chaotically implemented — ending America's longest war. But he simultaneously launched the largest proxy war since the Cold War in Ukraine ($66.9 billion and counting), expanded operations against the Houthis, and continued the drone campaign. Biden's presidency demonstrates that ending one war while starting others is the American presidential pattern.
🗣️ On War & Military Power
“We will support Ukraine for as long as it takes.”
📊 Military Spending During Presidency
Military Spending by Year (Billions)
Total military spending during Biden's tenure: $3210B. Average: $803B/year. Spending increased over the course of the presidency.
⚖️ Constitutional Authority
Biden had authorization for 1 conflict but conducted 9 without it — a mixed constitutional record.
Unauthorized conflicts:
• Somalia Intervention — UN peacekeeping mission. Executive action by Bush and Clinton.
• Global War on Terror (Other Operations) — All conducted under the 2001 AUMF — a 60-word authorization written in 3 days that has been used to justify military operations in at least 22 countries.
• Global Drone Campaign — Justified under 2001 AUMF. No specific authorization for most target countries.
• Somalia (AFRICOM Operations) — Conducted under 2001 AUMF — stretched to cover al-Shabaab despite no connection to 9/11.
• Niger & Sahel Operations — Conducted under 2001 AUMF. Most Americans unaware US troops were in Niger until the 2017 ambush.
• Syrian Civil War Intervention — Justified under 2001 AUMF — written to target al-Qaeda, applied to ISIS 13 years later.
• War Against ISIS — Obama used 2001 AUMF (designed for 9/11 attackers) to justify war against ISIS — a group that didn't exist in 2001 and was actually fighting al-Qaeda.
• Yemen War (Saudi Support) — No congressional authorization. Congress voted to end support in 2019; Trump vetoed. Biden pledged to end but continued.
• Red Sea / Houthi Campaign — No congressional authorization. Biden administration cited Article II self-defense authority. Bipartisan criticism from both parties.
⚔️ Conflicts Under Biden
🗽 The Libertarian Assessment
Biden involved the nation in 9 military conflicts, at a cost of $113.5B. 9 of these lacked congressional authorization. The question libertarians must always ask: were these conflicts truly necessary for the defense of American liberty?