To arrive at this mind-boggling sum, Brown University’s Cost of War report included not only Defense Department spending in Iraq and Afghanistan, which at $1.9 trillion is already nothing to sneeze at, but associated expenses from the State and Homeland Security Departments, an increase in the Department of Defense budget, and – perhaps the most significant hidden cost of the war – long-term healthcare costs for veterans. All told, the “check” comes to $5.9 trillion.

And will that be cash, or credit? The US has been financing these wars through deficit spending and borrowing, meaning there are hefty interest payments to be made. A 2011 calculation that capped total war appropriations at a fraction of their current level yielded a cumulative interest figure of $7.9 trillion. Given that the Trump administration has shown no sign of winding down the fighting – indeed, his cabinet has expanded its saber-rattling beyond Iran and Venezuela into outer space – there is no telling how long we will continue to borrow against the inevitable to fund our war habit.