The Price of War

The combined cost of the War on Terror and the Iraq War is now more that the US cost of World War I.

Right now, it ranks behind only World War II, Vietnam, and Korea in terms of cost -- in dollars, not blood. It could overtake the cost of the Korean War before long.

Adjusted for inflation...and priced in 2005 dollars, here's the way military spending breaks down over different conflicts:

• WWII: $3,114,300,000
• Vietnam: $531,500,000
• Korea: $361,200,000
• Iraq/Afghanistan: $252,000,000
• WWI: $209,000,000
• Gulf War: $81,800,000

The Afghan War is priced at $66 billion, the Iraq War at $186 billion right now. The combined cost is running about $80 to $100 billion a year. That means the current war could exceed the cost of the Korean War by late next year.

So far, that comes to $850 in military and reconstruction costs for every man, woman, and child in the US. Harvard University's Linda Bilmes estimates the cost could rise to $4,745 per American -- if the war drags on another five years. She includes costs like veteran benefits and interest on the national debt. (Christian Science Monitor) [Click on CSM Graphic to go to article]