Expensive wars have become an American tradition and the global "War on Terror" is proving no exception. The cost of "War on Terror" operations including both Afghanistan and Iraq reached $1.6 trillion by FY2014, according to data compiled by the Mercatus Center citing the Congressional Research Service. Taking war funding approved by Congress for FY2015 into account, the total reaches $1.7 trillion.
Of that, the vast majority, $1.562 trillion, has been allocated to the Department of Defense. Compared to past wars, U.S. military operations since 9/11 have proven extremely expensive. Putting the cost of the "War on Terror" into perspective, the Vietnam War is estimated to have cost $686 billion when adjusted for inflation.
The War On Terror Has Cost American Taxpayers Nearly $1.7 Trillion
