Key Fact: Request for $20 billion in additional war spending

It has been reported that the U.S. Department of Defense has requested an additional budget of $200 billion (approximately 280 trillion won) from the White House to wage war against Iran. According to multiple foreign media, this is four times the amount initially mentioned by Ministry of National Defense officials.

“Of course it costs money to kill the bad guys,” Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said at a press conference Thursday. “The $200 billion figure could go higher.” This additional request is separate from the largest-ever $1.5 trillion already submitted for the fiscal 2027 defense budget.

Why It Matters: The Essential Dilemma of American Finance and War

This additional budget request is huge, equivalent to about 20% of the U.S. defense budget. “Taxpayers have not received any clear explanation from the administration about the goals or costs of this war,” said Gabe Murphy, policy analyst at Common Sense for Taxpayers, a non-profit budget watchdog group. “Are they asking for $200 billion for a war that Congress has not approved?”

Murphy raised a key question. They say we need to ask for an answer: “Is the Department of Defense trying to add weight to its already massive budget, or is the administration planning a long-term war?”

Historical Lessons in the Cost of War: Precedents of the Iraq War

Linda Wilmes, a public policy professor at Harvard University and an authority on the cost of war, warns that short-term war costs are only the "tip of the iceberg" compared to long-term costs. Professor Wilmes analyzed the hidden costs of the Iraq War in 『3 Trillion Dollar War: The Real Cost of the Iraq Conflict』, co-authored with economist Joseph Stiglitz.

“Short-term costs such as ammunition costs, carrier strike deployment costs, and lost aircraft pale in comparison to long-term expenditures such as veteran welfare costs and war debt interest,” she said. If the 50,000 U.S. troops currently deployed to the Middle East were exposed to "toxic substances, pollution, acid rain, dust from destroyed infrastructure, and gases from petroleum combustion" and were to claim disability compensation at the usual rate, Professor Wilmes warned, the costs would rise sharply.

Future outlook [AI analysis]

This request for additional war expenses has three major implications.

First, the possibility of a long-term war has increased. Analysis shows that $200 billion is “much larger than the direct war costs so far, and is likely to be more than what is needed for the time being.” This suggests that the administration has a long-term war in mind, not a short-term operation.

Second, a structural increase in the defense budget is expected. According to Professor Wilmes, new wars increase the likelihood that Congress will approve a larger defense budget, “which will become the base budget, adding $1 trillion to the defense budget over 10 years.” There is a possibility that the pattern of temporary expenditures leading to permanent budget increases will repeat.

Third, the final cost is likely to be in the trillions of dollars. Considering the precedent set by the Iraq War, including veteran medical costs, disability pensions, and war debt interest, the total cost of the Iran war could be dozens of times higher than the current request. Without transparent disclosure of information to Congress and the public, it can pose a serious threat to fiscal soundness.

The United States is in a situation where it is conducting large-scale military operations without Congressional approval for war and is requesting enormous additional budget. It is a time when discussion on the goals, duration, and exit strategy of this war is urgently needed.