History’s Five Most Expensive Military Operations

Editor’s Note: War costs money–a LOT of money, especially in this day and age. If one were to sit down and quantify the amount of time, resources, etcetera, it would be more than our ability to process. Now keep in mind these facts and figures are seen through the lens of Russian research, so we can expect some….discrepancies, shall we say. Even so, this is an interesting list of the five most-expensive military operations to take place since World War II.

Last week, Russian President Vladimir Putin revealed the price tag of the Russian anti-terrorist air operation in Syria – 33 billion rubles (about $464 million US). To get a handle on whether this was a little or a lot, Russia’s RIA Novosti news agency has prepared an overview of some of the most expensive military operations since WWII.

On Thursday, Putin surprised Western experts, who had earlier estimated that Russia’s air operation was costing the Kremlin $4-$8 million per day, by revealing that the campaign, which stretched from late September 2015 to March 2016, actually cost Russia about $464 million (under $3 million per day).

“The military operation in Syria, of course, required certain spending, but the main part was from the Defense Ministry’s resources – around 33 billion rubles. [This sum] was included in the Ministry’s 2015 budget for holding drills and military training. We just redirected these resources for supporting the group in Syria,” Putin said, speaking at a ceremony summarizing the results of Russia’s five-month-long anti-terror campaign.

With this price tag in mind, Russian news agency RIA Novosti decided to take a look back at some of the most costly military operations since WWII.

#5: The NATO Bombing Campaign in Yugoslavia: $43 Billion

“The war in Kosovo,” RIA Novosti recalls, “ended with the 78-day NATO operation, code-named Operation Allied Force, which saw attacks by Allied aircraft against military targets and civilian infrastructure in the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (FRY). According to estimates by journalists from the BBC and military experts from the British military publishing company Janes, the bombing campaign cost NATO about $43 billion.”

We encourage you to go check out the rest of the article in its entirety, which can be viewed here. Again, check the facts, do your own research, and draw your own conclusions.

(Featured photo courtesy of U.S. Air Force)