As of June 30, the Defense Department had spent $1.46 trillion on war-time operations since Sept. 11, 2001, including $32 billion in Fiscal 2017. Screenshot from DOD report.
As of June 30, the Department of Defense had obligated $1.46 trillion for war-related costs since Sept. 11, 2001, according to a new DOD report.
Spending on prior missions, like Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom, makes up about 90 percent of that cost, but the report says the department is currently spending $3.6 billion per month for ongoing operations. The US is spending 91 percent of that amount, or $3.2 billion monthly, on its counterterrorism mission in Afghanistan. US operations against ISIS in Iraq and Syria are costing the US about $600 million per month.
Of the $32 billion the DOD spent on war during fiscal year 2017, the Air Force accounted for about $7.5 billion of that spending. Most of that amount ($6.5 billion) went toward operation and maintenance costs for the service. In FY17, the DOD spent $15 billion on Army war costs and $5.6 billion on Navy war costs, including the Marine Corps.
The total FY17 DOD spending on war-related costs was $10 billion less than in FY16 and continued a seven-year decline from FY10, when the Department spent $150 billion for ongoing operations.