From The Costs of War Project | Original Article

This report covers the major economic costs of U.S. support for Israel’s military operations and U.S. regional presence since October 7, 2023. Costs of War is a research project focused on U.S. military spending, as well as direct and indirect deaths associated with U.S. wars and militarism. It has been difficult for the U.S. public, journalists and members of Congress to get an accurate understanding of the amount of military equipment and financial assistance that the U.S. government has provided to Israel’s military during the past year of war. There is likewise little U.S. public awareness of the costs of the United States military’s own, related, operations in the region, particularly in and around Yemen.

In just one year, the U.S. has spent at least $22.76 billion on military aid to Israel and related U.S. operations in the region (through September 30).2 This was true, even before the U.S. expanded its presence in the region in late September/ early October 2024 in events too recent to be included in this report.

This estimate is conservative because, although it includes approved securityassistance funding since October 7, 2023, supplemental funding for regional operations,and an estimated additional cost of operations, it does not include any other economiccosts. For instance, it does not include commitments to future spending that were madethis year. Each part of the report that follows provides a detailed explanation of what is notincluded in the $22.76 billion, as well as what is.

Furthermore, there are other broad categories of spending that are not included,such as increased U.S. security assistance to Egypt, Saudi Arabia or any other countries, andcosts to the commercial airline industry and to U.S. consumers. This report is focusedentirely on United States military spending – it does not include other countries’ spendingon military operations.

Part I of the report focuses on United States military aid to Israel. It is difficult topinpoint an exact dollar figure for this aid, for reasons explained below. The U.S.government has approved at least $17.9 billion in security assistance since October 7,2023, but this is only a partial amount of the financial support provided during and for thiswar.3 For instance, the Biden administration has made at least 100 arms deals with Israelsince October 2023 that fell below the value that would have triggered the requirement tonotify Congress of the details. The U.S. has been Israel’s main supplier of weapons for thepast five decades; weapons deliveries since October 7 include 57,000 artillery shells;36,000 rounds of cannon ammunition; 20,000 M4A1 rifles; 13,981 anti-tank missiles; and8,700 Mk 82,500 pound bombs. On August 13, 2024, the Biden administration announced$20.3 billion in additional arms agreements with Israel to be carried out in future years(although this is currently being debated in Congress).

Part II provides a snapshot of this military aid in historical context. Altogether, Israelis the largest cumulative recipient of U.S. aid since World War II. Even so, the amount ofmilitary assistance approved during this past year -- $17.9 billion – is substantially morethan in any other year since the U.S. began granting military aid, specifically, to Israel in1959.4

Part III provides further information on broader U.S. war-related spending,highlighting how, since October 7, the U.S. Navy has significantly scaled up its defensive andoffensive operations in the region, primarily defending maritime shipping against attacksby Houthi militants in Yemen. This part of the war, which the Houthis claim is related toIsrael’s war in Gaza and is underreported in the U.S. media, has cost the U.S. government$4.86 billion and counting – bringing the total minimum known U.S. spending on one yearof war (with the $17.9 mentioned above) to $22.76 billion.5

Conflict with the Houthis has also cost an additional $2.1 billion in lost maritimetrade, because shippers have been forced to divert vessels or pay exorbitant insurancefees.6 U.S. consumers may experience paying higher prices for goods as a result.

In the context of over $22.76 billion the U.S. government has spent on one year ofwar, it is essential to look at who benefits financially from weapons sales. Part IV of thereport touches on the relationship between U.S. weapons manufacturers such as Boeing,RTX, Lockheed Martin, and General Dynamics and the Israeli government, who maintainlongstanding commercial relations. The U.S. government has cited these commercial ties asone of the reasons why the U.S. should continue to supply foreign militaries, including theIsraeli military, with weapons and equipment.

This report is a compilation authored by various experts, listed in alphabeticalorder, Linda J. Bilmes, William D. Hartung, and Stephen Semler.

Read the full report here.

1 Authors listed in alphabetical order. Linda J. Bilmes, Daniel Patrick Moynihan Senior Lecturer in Public Policy, Harvard Kennedy School ( This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it ); William D. Hartung, senior research fellow, Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft ( This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it ); Stephen Semler, cofounder, Security Policy Reform Institute (SPRI) ( This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it ); Edited by Stephanie Savell, Director of Costs of War and Senior Fellow at Brown University’s Watson Institute ( This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it ). Many thanks to Mimi Healy for copy editing and to Neta C. Crawford, Catherine Lutz, Heidi Peltier, and Darcey Rakestraw for editorial comments.
2 The $22.76 billion figure comes from adding $17.9 billion in U.S. security assistance to Israel (footnote 3) and $4.86 billion in U.S. military operations in the region, including against Houthis in and around Yemen (footnote 5).

3 The figure of $17.9 billion was calculated by the author William D. Hartung. See page 4.
4 In the years following the establishment of Israel in 1948, the U.S. provided solely economic assistance, through a combination of grants and loans. The U.S. granted Israel the first military loan in 1959, after which military aid grew rapidly.
5 The figure of $4.855 billion was calculated by the author Linda J. Bilmes. It is rounded to $4.86 billion. Dr. Bilmes also calculated the cost to the maritime trade. See page 18.