Sources

The most comprehensive accounting of post-9/11 war costs, casualties, and displacement. Run by the Watson Institute for International and Public Affairs. Principal investigators: Neta Crawford and Catherine Lutz.

Data used: Total War on Terror costs ($8T+), post-9/11 casualty estimates, displacement figures, veteran care projections, interest on war debt calculations.

The research arm of the United States Congress. Produces authoritative, nonpartisan reports on defense policy, military operations, and spending.

Data used: US military casualties (RL32492), costs of major wars (RL33110), military operations histories, defense budget analysis, constitutional war powers analysis.

Stockholm International Peace Research Institute tracks global military expenditures since 1949. The gold standard for international military spending comparison.

Data used: Annual military spending by country, GDP share calculations, global spending comparisons, trend data.

Tracks international transfers of major conventional weapons. Uses Trend Indicator Values (TIVs) for consistent comparison.

Data used: US arms sales data, weapons transfer volumes by country and region.

The official source for US military casualty records, maintained by the Department of Defense.

Data used: Battle deaths, total military deaths, wounded figures for all conflicts. The most authoritative source for US military casualty data.

Annual budget justification documents, including service-level breakdowns, procurement plans, and R&D budgets.

Data used: Detailed budget breakdowns by category, service branch, and program.

Historical federal budget data dating back to 1940, including defense outlays as a share of GDP and total spending.

Data used: Historical defense spending trends, GDP share calculations, discretionary spending comparisons.

Comprehensive database of US foreign aid disbursements by country, year, sector, and type.

Data used: Military vs. economic aid breakdowns, foreign military financing data, country-level aid figures.

Official annual inventory of US military installations worldwide, including size, personnel, and replacement value.

Data used: Overseas base counts, installation data, global military footprint.

The official source for federal spending data, including defense contracts, grants, and direct payments.

Data used: Defense contractor spending data, contract values by company, procurement spending.

Publishes the CPI-U (Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers), used for all inflation adjustments.

Data used: All inflation adjustments throughout the site use BLS CPI-U data.

The VA's annual report on veteran suicide, including rates by age, gender, era, and method.

Data used: Veteran suicide statistics, trend data, demographic breakdowns.

Congressional watchdog that audits federal agencies and programs, including extensive DOD oversight.

Data used: Pentagon audit findings, weapons program cost overruns, waste and fraud data.

Internal watchdog for the Department of Defense. Produces audits, investigations, and evaluations.

Data used: Audit failure data, accounting adjustment figures, waste and fraud documentation.

Oversaw US reconstruction spending in Afghanistan. Documented billions in waste, fraud, and abuse.

Data used: Afghanistan reconstruction costs, waste examples, lessons learned reports.

Professor of anthropology and author of "Base Nation: How U.S. Military Bases Abroad Harm America and the World." Leading researcher on overseas basing.

Data used: Overseas base counts (broader definition), base impact analysis.

Research on employment effects of government spending by sector. Key study: "The U.S. Employment Effects of Military and Domestic Spending Priorities."

Data used: Jobs per billion dollars by sector (military vs. education vs. healthcare), used in Jobs Calculator.

Analyzes the federal budget with a focus on how military spending compares to other priorities. Produces the annual "Trade-Offs" analysis.

Data used: Discretionary spending breakdowns, opportunity cost calculations, tax receipt methodology.

Produces the annual "Where Your Income Tax Money Really Goes" pie chart, which includes military-related spending across all agencies.

Data used: Alternative military spending share calculations (including hidden costs).

London-based investigative journalism organization. Runs the most comprehensive drone strike casualty database.

Data used: Drone strike counts and casualty figures by country (Pakistan, Yemen, Somalia, Afghanistan).

Maintains a database of documented civilian deaths from violence in Iraq since 2003. Uses cross-referenced media reports, hospital records, and official data.

Data used: Iraqi civilian death counts — the most rigorous documented count available.

Tracks civilian harm from international airstrikes across multiple conflicts. Uses incident-level documentation.

Data used: Civilian casualties from US and coalition airstrikes in Iraq, Syria, Libya, Somalia, and Yemen.

Investigates government waste, corruption, and abuse of power, with extensive coverage of defense spending.

Data used: Revolving door data, contractor waste and fraud, weapons program failures.

Tracks money in US politics, including defense industry lobbying and campaign contributions.

Data used: Defense lobbying spending, campaign contributions by defense contractors, revolving door data.