Jul 25
No press briefing has been held for months, as the defence department belatedly or inaccurately releases figures
seen from China
seen from Singapore
seen from United Kingdom
seen from Malaysia
seen from China
seen from United States
seen from China
seen from France
seen from United States
seen from United Kingdom
seen from Indonesia
seen from Türkiye
seen from Poland
seen from United States
seen from Canada
seen from United States
seen from China
seen from United States
seen from Canada
seen from United States
No press briefing has been held for months, as the defence department belatedly or inaccurately releases figures
The Astronomical Price of War: $3.7 Billion in 100 Hours.
What could $3.7 billion do for our infrastructure instead?
Cost of War comparison - First World War - 1 Trillion
Le Petit Journal - Aug 31 1919
Napolean war - 20 Billion
Crimean War - 12 Billion
Italian unification - 3 Billion
America War of Secession - 37 Billion
Russo-Turkish War (1877–1878) - 6 Billion
Russo-Japanese War (1905) - 11 Billion
Franco-Prussian War (1870) - 15 Billion
First World War - 1,005 Billion
Dec 31 1918 in WWI
Free Trader-Journal., December 31 1918
One year of War Cost American $18 Billion ($300 Billion in 2019)
$37.5 Billion... For What?
Yes, I know war isn't cheap. No sensible person expects a military campaign to cost pocket change. But when the U.S. Defence Secretary, Pete Hegseth, tells lawmakers that the war with Iran has already cost $37.5 billion, every taxpayer has the right to ask one very simple question:
Where is all that money coming from?
Thirty-seven and a half billion dollars doesn't simply appear out of thin air. It comes from taxpayers, government borrowing, or money that could have been spent elsewhere. Every missile fired, every aircraft deployed, every supply shipment and every day's military operations carry a price tag.
The bigger question, however, is this:
What has actually been achieved?
From what I can see, this conflict has failed to produce anything remotely worth celebrating. Iran has not suddenly become stable. The Middle East is not noticeably safer. The region remains volatile, global markets continue to react nervously, and American forces remain deployed with no obvious end in sight. Meanwhile, the Pentagon is already asking Congress for tens of billions more to continue funding operations.
History has shown us that wars have a habit of becoming far longer and far more expensive than governments first predict. Politicians often speak of quick victories, but taxpayers usually end up paying the bill for years, sometimes decades.
Every billion dollars spent overseas is a billion dollars that cannot be spent reducing debt, repairing infrastructure, supporting veterans, improving healthcare, strengthening border security, or easing the tax burden on ordinary working families.
Supporting a nation's armed forces is one thing. Supporting an open-ended military commitment without a clearly defined objective is another entirely.
If a government asks its people to fund a war, it owes them more than slogans. It owes them a clear strategy, measurable objectives, transparency about the costs, and an honest explanation of what success actually looks like.
Otherwise, taxpayers are left wondering whether billions are being poured into a conflict with no realistic exit strategy.
War may sometimes be necessary. But necessity does not remove the responsibility to ask difficult questions.
Thirty-seven and a half billion dollars is an astonishing amount of money.
The question remains:
Has America received $37.5 billion worth of results?
From where I stand, that answer is far from obvious.
@ProfJiangInsights-n9y
"In this video, we examine the real story behind the #Iran #ceasefire: the lopsided framework agreement, the unbudgeted #warcosts that neither FY2026 nor FY2027 #defensebudgets account for, and the Congressional fight coming over who pays. Plus: what this means for #oilmarkets, #Gulfsecurity, the #IMEC trade corridor, and why #Israel may not see this as over."
https://youtu.be/C2o62C_R5n8?is=szK7ICIgAAZQrutf
Ask A Genius 1636: Rick Rosner on the U.S.–Iran War, AI Surveillance, Voice of America, and U.S. Strategic Failure
Can you think of another situation that was this self-inflicted in American history? In this interview, Scott Douglas Jacobsen and Rick Rosner examine the day-11 U.S.–Iran war, arguing that regime change is unlikely, costs are rising, and public support is weak. Rosner compares the conflict to Iraq and Vietnam, warning that wars launched on optimistic assumptions can spiral into prolonged…
War Costs in Life & Money
Today I learned that Fullerton is the only city in orange county that is entirely serviced by an independent newspaper -FULLERTON OBSERVER but more importantly I learned- •California leads the nation with 3,972 soldiers wounded and 731 dead in wars since 2001
• 4,501 US soldiers killed in Iraq (DoD 5/14/16)
•2,381 US soldiers killed in Afghanistan (2/12/16) www.casualties.org
•Cost of war since 2001 is $1.688 trillion (Iraq $819.4 billion) (Afghanistan $736.5 billion) www.costofwar.com (5/14/16 Cost of military action against ISIL $9.5 billion Pentagon slush fund $119.5 billion www.nationalpriorities.com
•Every Hour US taxpayers are paying $8.36 million for costs of war since 2001
What could we be doing with this money instead?