As of 2024, there were 950 active lobbyists for the arms industry—220 more than during the last years of the war in Afghanistan.

The Intercept reports that in the Army, women are more likely to be killed by their fellow service members than by enemy combatants, citing Costs of War research on sexual assault in the military. theintercept.com/2026/06/30/a...

Mimi Syed, @wesjbryant.bsky.social, and Charles Blaha explain their report with @costsofwar.bsky.social on Israel's precise, lethal quadcopter use in Gaza, documenting multiple targeted, single-round shots against children, many from quadcopters. Report: costsofwar.watson.brown.edu/paper/Quadco...

The value of the global market for camouflage is estimated to be worth $5.3 billion. But camo isn’t unique: The military has a presence in virtually every corner of the fashion world. [1/2]

Over 1/3 of the $108 billion spent on U.S. contractors in Afghanistan since 9/11 went to undisclosed recipients.

A growing portion of the Defense Department’s spending is going to large, well-known tech firms, including some of the most highly valued corporations in the world.

The U.S. has spent an average of $260 billion a year countering China militarily since President Obama’s “Pivot to Asia”. Upgrading key U.S. infrastructure would cost 1/10 of what the U.S. has spent on military competition with China since 2012.

A new UN report concludes that the Israeli army deliberately targeted children in Gaza and the West Bank, and features testimony from Costs of War contributor Dr. Mimi Syed highlighted in our latest report. [1/2] www.ohchr.org/en/press-rel...

Healthcare spending creates 84% more jobs than military spending, while infrastructure and clean energy create from 24% to 64% more.

Over 2,500 war-themed movies and TV programs have been made with Pentagon assistance. After 9/11, the Pentagon collaborated on movies such as Zero Dark Thirty and Lone Survivor, and TV shows including 24, NCIS, and SEAL Team.

“So you don’t poison wells. You don’t destroy dams. All of that is illegal. And nevertheless, it happens." Costs of War co-founder Neta Crawford on international legal protections for the environment in war, and how current conflicts are testing those protections. www.newsweek.com/ecological-t...

The Israeli military's use of small tactical drones in Gaza has not reduced civilian harm but has intensified it, according to our latest research, with recommendations for the U.S. as a leader in global drone technologies. costsofwar.watson.brown.edu/paper/Quadco...

The costs of caring for post-9/11 war vets will reach between $2.2 and $2.5 trillion by 2050 – most of which has not yet been paid.

Between 2021 and 2023, the U.S. government conducted counterterrorism operations in 78 countries. costsofwar.watson.brown.edu/paper/united...

"Energy prices were once again responsible for the increase in the consumer price index," notes reporting from The Guardian. People in the U.S. have paid an extra $57 billion in fuel costs since the start of the war in Iran. www.theguardian.com/business/202...

Over the course of the war in Afghanistan (2001-2021), 24% of U.S. women service members and 1.9% of men experienced sexual assault.

Annual U.S. military spending has grown significantly this century, as has the portion of the budget that goes to contractors: While 54% of the Pentagon’s average annual spending has gone to military contractors since 2020, during the 1990s, only 41% went to contractors.

Since the Iran war began, U.S. consumers have paid an extra $54.9 billion, or over $418 per household, in fuel costs. www.newsweek.com/100-days-of-...

Between August 1, 2025 and March 31, 2026, U.S. military operations in Venezuela, the Caribbean, and the Eastern Pacific — comprising Operation Southern Spear and Operation Absolute Resolve — cost U.S. taxpayers at least $4.7 billion. costsofwar.watson.brown.edu/papers/boats...

"According to researchers at Brown University’s Watson School of International and Public Affairs, Americans have paid an additional $51.7 billion in gasoline and diesel costs since the conflict began on February 28, equivalent to nearly $400 per household." www.newsweek.com/5-signs-amer...

Military spending produces an average of five jobs per $1 million in spending. By contrast, 13 jobs are created for every $1 million in education spending – nearly three times more.

During the 20 years of war in Afghanistan, the DoD paid various companies about $108 billion in contracts for work performed in Afghanistan since 2001. Over 1/3 of this total went to undisclosed recipients. costsofwar.watson.brown.edu/paper/wartim...

@inkstickmedia.com delves into our recent report on the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement — and its relation to the so-called War on Terror. inkstickmedia.com/deep-dive-ho...

“The Pentagon’s accounting system is weak, it flunks its audit every year and can’t account for its assets and liabilities, and certainly can’t account for the true costs of war.” Our contributor Linda Bilmes on the cost of war in Iran. www.theage.com.au/national/how...

"The costs of these military operations have already climbed to $4.7 billion, according to Brown University’s Costs of War project." The New York Times cites our research on the cost of recent U.S. military operations in Latin America and the Caribbean: www.nytimes.com/2026/05/29/w...

Between 2020-2024, the U.S. government invested over twice as much money in five weapons companies as it did in diplomacy and international assistance.

NEW: The U.S. military's presence in Hawaiʻi has been touted as a boon for the local economy. But our new report reveals a slew of hidden costs behind the overstated benefits—including environmental harms that disproportionately affect native Hawaiians.

The bombs fell on Iran. But the bill for the war landed everywhere, notes our media fellow, Hammi Sylla.

NEW: A new report out today offers the most comprehensive accounting ever produced of what the U.S. military presence in Hawaiʻi actually costs. As 65-year leases with the U.S. military expire in 2028-2029, communities in Hawaiʻi have a real chance to reclaim that land:

Reminder: Of the 20 states with economies most dependent on military manufacturing, 14 experience poverty at similar or higher rates than the national average. costsofwar.watson.brown.edu/paper/milita...

The U.S. has Memorial Day to honor fallen soldiers, while other countries have Remembrance Day or Victory Day. But there are only a handful of monuments to honor civilians killed in war, writes @bryanrwalsh.bsky.social in @vox.com, citing Costs of War research. www.vox.com/future-perfe...

“America may decide when a war is over, but the people who fought it don’t always get that choice….Researchers and veteran advocates have warned for years that the human cost of the post-9/11 wars didn’t end when troops came home.” militaryfamilies.com/military-vet...

Between 2012-2024, the U.S. spent at least $3.4 trillion on militarized rivalry with China. That’s almost twice as much as the federal government spent on education.

The over $40 billion in extra U.S. fuel costs since the start of war in Iran exceeds the estimated cost of completely redoing the nation's air traffic control system.

“It’s a reminder, every time you go to the gas pump, that this country is at war.” Costs of War's Stephanie Savell on new research revealing more than $40 billion in additional U.S. fuel costs due to war in Iran, via @motherjones.com. www.motherjones.com/politics/202...

"Modern coalition warfare is built to be remote and marketed as precise. But analysts say it produces more destruction, not less — while shared command structures distribute power but dilute accountability." @jacobinmag.bsky.social reports from Iraq, citing Costs of War. jacobin.com/2026/05/iraq...

Extra U.S. fuel costs due to the Iran War – more than $40 billion – would cover the cost of the entire federal Bridge Investment Program to repair, restore, and modernize over 10,200 of the nation’s bridges. [1/2]

Donald Trump’s Iran war hits Americans with $40bn fuel bill ft.trib.al/xxlre9J

BREAKING: Extra fuel costs due to Iran War top $40 billion, an “unacknowledged tax” on U.S. households, according to new joint research with the Climate Solutions Lab at @watsonschoolbrown.bsky.social. [THREAD] costsofwar.watson.brown.edu/paper/IranWa...

A new poll from @rethinkmedia.bsky.social and Costs of War reveals a majority of Americans think a $1.5 trillion military budget is too high. "In real time, I think what we're seeing is the public experience how more spending does not actually keep them safe." www.usatoday.com/story/news/p...

“The defining geopolitical question of the 21st century may be whether America spent too much breaking windows abroad while China spent more time building roads, railways, ports and power systems at home.” Op-ed citing our research in @tucson.com: tucson.com/opinion/colu...

In August 2025, the U.S. began a significant naval and aircraft buildup in the Caribbean. Since then, the U.S. has spent at least $4.7 billion on operations in the region, including the operation to oust Maduro. costsofwar.watson.brown.edu/papers/boats...

As of 2024, there were 950 active lobbyists for the arms industry — 220 more than during the last years of the war in Afghanistan.

Five legal precedents borrowed from the so-called “War on Terror” have helped the government ramp up aggressive immigration enforcement efforts. Read the new research by Elizabeth Beavers. costsofwar.watson.brown.edu/paper/terror...

“The military industrial complex is a big reason why we take this military-style approach to foreign policy.” Costs of War’s Stephanie Savell on the costs of war with Iran, and the influence wielded by military contractors. www.oceanstatemedia.org/one-on-one-w...

Costs of War’s Stephanie Savell talks about how in the end, wars always cost more than officials predict. www.kcrw.com/stories/25-b...

Radio excerpt of my One on One interview with Stephanie Savell of @costsofwar.bsky.social Project at Brown University: Iran war is far more costly than the Pentagon's $25B estimate www.oceanstatemedia.org/one-on-one-w...

Deaths caused by governments in the name of counterterrorism vastly exceed deaths caused by militant groups who use terror tactics. [1/2]

The 2001 AUMF had been cited to justify counterterrorism activities in 22 countries as of 2020, writes Fiona Harrigan in @reason.com, citing Costs of War research. reason.com/2026/05/05/c...

This is our version of service journalism. Save this one as an easy reference for when you’re called upon to address how things got this bad: