The Actual Costs of War: The Costs Beyond Dollars and Cents

I’m sure all of you have been catching up with the news lately.

Boy, things are certainly unpleasant with what’s going on between Ukraine and Russia…

Unless you’ve been sleeping in social studies class, I’m sure you have learnt about how Singapore has suffered really badly during World War 2.

That’s what the Ukrainians are facing now.

In war, whichever side may call itself the victor, there are no winners, but all are losers. – Neville Chamberlain

Everyone has a price to pay during a war, especially those caught in between.

The innocents living their everyday lives suffer in a conflict they had nothing to do with.

But what are the actual costs of war?

Mind you, I’m not simply talking about money.

I’m talking about the actual costs involved that are beyond the simple dollars and cents figures we see.

TL;DR: What Does War Actually Cost Us?

War costs us many things.

Over the course of 22 years, it cost the United States (US) US$8 trillion worth of military spending.

Countries to lose 897,150 to 928,000 human lives.

And caused 38 million people to have their lives disrupted and lose their homes.

But beyond these numbers, there’s a lot more at stake, so let’s take a deeper look at what goes into these numbers.

Opportunity Costs of War Spending

It makes sense that all countries invest in their military since it serves as a form of defence and deterrence against countries that plan to attack them.

But what doesn’t make sense is large amounts of money spent on military costs when that money could be used in other areas.

Let’s look at how much war spending costs the US between Fiscal Year (FY) 2001 to FY2022.

A whopping US$8,000,000,000,000!

War spending certainly is no joke, but are wars really the way to go?

Between FY2001 to FY2022, the amount spent on overseas operations, where the people are thrown into dangerous environments, amounted to US$2,101 billion.

After exposing strong and healthy citizens to the dangers of war, an additional cost for the veterans’ medical care and disability is incurred.

From FY2001 to FY2022, the amount spent on veterans’ healthcare is US$465 billion, and the projected amount for their healthcare for the next thirty years is about US$2.2 trillion.

Although the military calls for a great cause, is it worth it?

All the permanent disabilities, PTSD, and other ailments require constant medical attention.

The money spent on post-war care could be channelled towards different areas if the people weren’t exposed to the dangers of war.

That money could be spent on improving infrastructure, providing better education, or public healthcare spending.

All of which could help strengthen a nation and prevent future wars.

The Human Costs of War

Moving on, let us talk about the cost of war that cannot be measured with money.

All the numbers you see in the table above are not dollar figures.

They are the number of people who were mercilessly sacrificed in war.

The total death toll, spanning across multiple regions, comes to roughly between 897,150 to 928,000 people.

That’s close to one-fifth of the Singaporean population!

Among the people who died in the war, 363,939 to 387,072 were civilian lives.

41% to 42% of the people killed directly during a war are just unfortunate enough to live in a warzone.

Although we cannot put a price on human lives, we need to consider their contributions to the economy.

Many of them work hard to make a living. Some even help produce things used in our daily lives, like the food we eat or the clothes we wear.

Furthermore, we have not added the lives of humanitarian workers who provided aid in these dangerous areas.

Ask yourself, is it fair that people like them, who have absolutely nothing to do with the war, lose their lives for it?

Lives Disrupted by War

Finally, let’s look at the lives that are disrupted by war.

Based on the graph above, about 38 million people were displaced by wars fought between 2001 to 2020.

Imagine being uprooted from your everyday lives, caught in between senseless violence, and having to flee across borders.

You lose more than just your home, career, homes, and families, all gone!

These losses include the monetary losses you have worked so hard for.

All the blood, sweat, and tears so that you can have a better life.

But thanks to war, all your hard work for many years, lost in the fires of war just like that.

Although you can say you are lucky to survive amidst the tragedy.

But when you actually think about it, you have nothing to start a new life with.

Think of the refugees who have nothing. Without a single dime, they are condemned to suffer in an unfamiliar land.

Let’s Take a Moment to Think