For anyone wondering how much the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have cost Americans taxpayers, the latest total for direct costs is $1.5 trillion, according to a report (pdf) from the Congressional Research Service.

Although the Iraq war has been technically over for a few years now, it still was the more costly of the two conflicts. Operation Iraqi Freedom/Operation New Dawn consumed $815 billion, or 51% of the total, CRS analyst Amy Belasco wrote.

As for Operation Enduring Freedom, which is still ongoing, the cost of American involvement in Afghanistan is now up to $686 billion.

Another $27 billion went towards Operation Noble Eagle (ONE) to bolster security at U.S. military bases, and $81 billion “for war-designated funding not considered directly related to the Afghanistan or Iraq wars,” per Belasco.

Of the $1.6 trillion total, about 92% goes directly to the Department of Defense, 6% pays for State Department diplomatic and foreign aid costs, and 5% goes toward expenses “tangentially-related to war operations." That leaves 1% for the medical care of U.S. war veterans.

The human cost of the two wars for Americans, according to Bloomberg, has been:

Iraq:

4,491 deaths

32,244 wounded

Afghanistan:

2,356 deaths

20,060 wounded (as of December16)

As a result of both wars, there are also 128,496 U.S. service members who have been diagnosed with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, according to the Defense Medical Surveillance System.

-Noel Brinkerhoff

To Learn More:

The Cost of Iraq, Afghanistan, and Other Global War on Terror Operations Since 9/11 (by Amy Belasco, Congressional Research Service) (pdf)

Wars’ Cost to U.S. Since the Sept. 11 Attacks: $1.6 Trillion (by Tony Capaccio, Bloomberg)

How Much Does a U.S. War Cost? Ask Again in a Hundred Years (by Noel Brinkerhoff and David Wallechinsky, AllGov)

Cost of U.S. Wars: $4 Trillion and 225,000 Dead (by Noel Brinkerhoff,

AllGov)