The War You Know
Right now, U.S. defense spending costs every American
$2,455
per year
$839.2B FY2026 enacted DoD appropriation ÷ 341,800,000 people (Census Population Estimates, July 1, 2025)
Ongoing wars
As of Oct 19, 2026
US-Iran War — Operation Epic Fury
Started Feb 28, 2026 • Day 232 and counting
Cost to date
$43.6B–$45.1B
Red — verified floor: $43.6B. Gray — contested upper estimate: $45.1B.
as of Sep 3, 2026 · re-verified Oct 19, 2026⚠ contested
Roughly $128–$132 per American.
Emergency supplemental
$87.6B requested, not enacted
Congressional funding request, not money yet spent.
Killed in the US–Israel air campaign (non-US)
at least 3,705
including at least 1,729 civilians
as of Sep 2, 2026 · re-verified Oct 19, 2026⚠ contested
US military casualties
21killed865+wounded
as of Oct 9, 2026
As of Oct 19, 2026
US-Venezuela / Caribbean Operations — Operation Southern Spear
Started Aug 15, 2025 • Day 429 and counting
Estimated cost to date
~$7.3B
Red — verified through Mar 31, 2026 (Brown University’s Costs of War): $4.7B. Gray — extrapolated at ~$31M/day (CSIS, Jan 2026 posture) through Jun 24, 2026, when operations shifted to earthquake relief. Not extrapolated beyond.
~$2.8M/day of it was never authorized by Congress.
People killed in US strikes (non-US)
at least 238vessel-strike deaths — NON-US, people aboard targeted boats
last confirmed strike Oct 4, 2026⚠ contested
~75killed in Jan 3, 2026 Maduro raid (Operation Absolute Resolve) — NON-US
US combat deaths: 0
Average cost per day — current wars vs. the Iraq War
Constant 2026 dollars.
Red — current-war verified segment. Gray extension — current-war contested/upper-bound segment. Appropriations-basis daily averages in 2026 dollars. Iran average through Sep 3, 2026.
Look up your ZIP's historical share (2022)