Costs of War Project facts for kids

The Costs of War Project is based at Brown University.

The Costs of War Project is a research group at Brown University. It studies the true costs of U.S. wars. This includes wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. They also look at efforts to fight terrorism.

The project aims to show all the costs. This means both money spent and lives lost. It is the most complete study of U.S. military actions since the September 11th events. Experts from many fields work on it. These include economists, lawyers, and political scientists. Catherine Lutz, Stephanie Savell, and Neta Crawford lead the project.

How the Project Started

The Costs of War Project began in 2010. Professor Catherine Lutz from Brown University helped start it. Neta Crawford from Boston University also played a key role.

The project shared its first findings in 2011. It has been publishing new information ever since. Groups like the Carnegie Corporation of New York help fund their work.

Leaders have used the project's numbers. Former U.S. President Donald Trump mentioned their cost estimates. U.S. President Joe Biden also used their figures. He spoke about the cost of the War in Afghanistan. This was when U.S. troops left the country.

What the Project Calculates

The Costs of War Project makes big calculations. They estimate that U.S. wars since 9/11 have cost over $8 trillion. This huge amount includes money set aside for veterans' care.

They also track lives lost. The project estimates that 897,000 to 929,000 people have died directly. These deaths happened in places like Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Syria, and Yemen.

A report from 2021 showed another sad fact. Four times more U.S. veterans and service members have died since September 11, 2001.

What They Include

The project looks at things that other official reports often miss. For example, they count the interest paid on war loans. They also include medical care for veterans. And they look at spending by government groups other than the Department of Defense.

The study does not include all U.S. actions. For instance, it doesn't cover help against ISIS in the Philippines or parts of Africa and Europe. However, in 2018, the project started to include Africa. They now count U.S. actions and drone strikes in places like Libya and the Horn of Africa.