U.S. Veterans & Military Families

Since 2001, between 1.9 and 3 million service members have served in post-9/11 war operations in Afghanistan and Iraq, and over half of them have deployed more than once. Many times that number of Americans have borne the costs of war as spouses, parents, children, and friends cope with their loved ones’ absence, mourn their deaths, or greet the changed person who often returns.

Many Iraq and Afghanistan veterans face a life of disability due to the physical and psychological injuries they sustain in the war zones. Over 1.8 million veterans have some degree of officially recognized disability as a result of the wars — veterans of the current wars account for more than half of the severely disabled veteran population. Many additional veterans live with physical and emotional scars despite lack of disability status or outstanding claims. The costs of caring for post-9/11 war vets will reach between $2.2 and $2.5 trillion by 2050 – most of which has not yet been paid.

 In comparison to the civilian population, Iraq and Afghanistan war veterans are facing elevated rates of suicide and mental illness, drug and alcohol dependence, car crashes, and homelessness. They and their families also experience higher rates of divorce as well as homicide, child abuse, and child neglect by both parents left behind and returning veterans. At least four times as many active duty personnel and war veterans of post-9/11 conflicts have died of suicide than in combat, as an estimated 30,177 have died by suicide as compared with the 7,057 killed in post-9/11 war operations. 

Amongst active-duty service members in the post-9/11 wars, an estimated 24% of women and 1.9% of men experienced sexual assault. These numbers are two to four times higher than official DoD estimations of sexual assault prevalence in the military. Experiences of gender inequality are most pronounced for women of color, who experience intersecting forms of racism and sexism and are one of the fastest-growing populations within the military. Independent data also confirm queer and trans service members’ disproportionately greater risk for sexual assault.

When service members return home injured, it is often their families who provide care – even when veterans are housed in military hospitals. The offloading of care for the war wounded onto families and community organizations has been an express part of military planning, and should count among the costs of war.

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Key Findings

• At least four times as many active duty personnel and war veterans of post-9/11 conflicts have died of suicide than in combat.

• The economic costs of caring for post-9/11 war vets will reach between $2.2 and $2.5 trillion by 2050.

• On average, over the course of the war in Afghanistan (2001-2021) 24 percent of active-duty women and 1.9 percent of active-duty men experienced sexual assault.

• Experiences of gender inequality are most pronounced for women of color, who experience intersecting forms of racism and sexism within the U.S. military. Queer and trans service members’ face disproportionately greater risk for sexual assault.

• The military has increasingly off-loaded the burden of care for service members’ health onto their families and communities, and mainly onto female spouses and partners. 

(Page updated as of August 2024)