The High Cost Of British Military Interventions

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UK Military Operations Since Cold War Have Cost £34bn, Says Study -- The Guardian

Study says bulk of money was spent on Iraq and Afghanistan, interventions judged later to be 'strategic failures'

Britain's military operations since the end of the cold war have cost £34.7bn and a further £30bn may have to be spent on long-term veteran care, according to an authoritative study.

The bulk of the money has been spent on interventions in Iraq and Afghanistan judged to have been "strategic failures", says the study, Wars in Peace, published by the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI).

In comments with particular resonance in the light of Tony Blair's speech on Wednesday exhorting the west to do more to defeat Islamic extremism, the RUSI study concludes that "there is no longer any serious disagreement" that Britain's role in the Iraq war served to channel and increase the radicalisation of young Muslims in the UK.

The RUSI study refers to estimates of 100,000 Iraqis killed, with 2 million refugees fleeing to neighbouring countries.

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The High Cost Of British Military Interventions

How much has Britain spent on military intervention? -- The Guardian
UK's £72BILLION bill for its 'failed' wars: True costs of operations since the Cold War revealed by defence think-tank -- Daily Mail
Britain wasted £34 billion on military interventions since Cold War -- RT
Lessons of costly conflicts - from Iraq to Afghanistan -- Richard Norton-Taylor, The Guardian