A few days ago, I was fortunate to watch the movie "Changjin Lake", which truly restored the scene of the bloody battle of the volunteers in the Battle of Changjin Lake, which is shocking. After the film ended, I overheard a young man say: "We have such a large population, if we donate 100 yuan per person, there will be 140 billion, which is enough to deal with any war." These words caused me to think, is 140 billion really enough to fight a war? How much money does war burn? Today, let us find out.
Modern warfare equipment is expensive
When it comes to modern warfare, the image that comes to many people's minds may be the scene of soldiers charging on the battlefield with guns in hand. However, with the advancement of science and technology, modern warfare is no longer what it used to be. Nowadays, the outcome of a war depends largely on the weaponry of both sides.
Take, for example, the tank that we are all too familiar with. During World War II, the cost of an American-made Sherman tank was about 45,000 US dollars, which is equivalent to three or four million yuan today. But now, a main battle tank can easily cost tens of millions, or even hundreds of millions of yuan. Taking the mainland's Type 99 main battle tank as an example, although the specific price has not been disclosed, some military experts estimate that the price of each Type 99 is at least 30 million yuan. The U.S. military's M1A2 main battle tank is even more expensive, and it is said that the price is as high as 8.6 million US dollars, or about 55 million yuan. The price of a tank is enough to buy a good house in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Shenzhen.
The price of the fighter is even more staggering. The US military's F-22 fighter jet claims to be one of the most advanced fighters in the world at present, but its cost is also staggering, with an average of $340 million per fighter, equivalent to more than 2 billion yuan. Even if it is the J-20 of the mainland, although it is domestic, the cost will be 7-8 billion. The money for one fighter plane is enough to build several universities.
In addition to conventional weapons such as tanks and warplanes, there are many high-precision weapons and equipment in modern warfare, such as missiles, rockets, etc., and their prices are even more frighteningly high. The cost of each of the US military's "Tomahawk" cruise missiles is $1.4 million, equivalent to more than 9 million yuan. The money for a missile is enough for a county town to build a primary school. Russia's S-400 air defense missile systems are said to cost as much as 500 million US dollars, or 3.2 billion yuan, each set is enough to buy several Boeing 737 passenger planes.
Naval equipment is also expensive. The cost of each Nimitz-class nuclear-powered aircraft carrier of the US military is as high as 4.5 billion US dollars, equivalent to more than 30 billion yuan. The money for this aircraft carrier is enough to build more than a dozen 055 drives. Even an ordinary destroyer costs billions of dollars.
It can be seen from this that the price of modern warfare equipment is often astronomical, and this is only the cost of equipment, and does not include the subsequent use, maintenance, and upgrading costs. It can be said that even a medium-sized modern war will cost far more than 140 billion yuan on its weapons and equipment. During World War II, the United States spent $296 billion on the war effort over a four-year period. If you put it now, I don't know how many times this number will be multiplied.
During the Vietnam War, the United States invested more than $1 trillion in the war. The recent war in Afghanistan has estimated $2 trillion in total U.S. dollars over 20 years. What a staggering number!
Therefore, 140 billion is really a drop in the bucket in the face of modern warfare. I hope that there will be no more wars in the future, and that peace is the last word. Even if you want to prepare for war, you must take precautions and persevere, and it is not enough to rely on temporary donations.
During the war, the cost of logistics was enormous
After talking about the sky-high price of equipment for modern warfare, some people may say: Isn't fighting a war just like rushing forward with a gun, and why do you need so much money? In fact, the role of logistical support is very important in winning or losing a modern war, and maintaining logistical operations also requires a large amount of funds.
During World War II, an important reason why the U.S. military was invincible on the European battlefield was that their logistics support was very perfect. At that time, there were about 15,000 people in an infantry division of the US army, and such a unit needed to consume more than 200 tons of various materials every day. Not only did the soldiers get hot food, but they also often drank Coca-Cola, which was a luxury on the battlefield. It can be seen that the US military's logistical supplies are sufficient.
By the time of the Korean War, the U.S. military's logistical support capability had reached a higher level. According to statistics, in 1952 alone, the US military transported more than 10 million tons of various materials to the Korean battlefield, with an average of nearly 30,000 tons per day. The U.S. soldiers not only eat and drink without worry, but also have first-class equipment. In contrast, the logistics of the volunteer army are much worse, and many soldiers do not even have cotton clothes, let alone eat and drink well.
During the Vietnam War, in order to cope with the complex environment of the jungle in Vietnam, the U.S. military invested in logistics unprecedentedly. An infantry division consumes 650 tons of supplies per day, more than three times as much as during World War II. According to statistics, during the Vietnam War, the U.S. military invested more than 15 million tons of supplies, and each soldier consumed an average of 16 tons, four times that of World War II. In 1968 alone, the U.S. military spent $20.4 billion on logistics on the battlefield in Vietnam.
During the Gulf War, the amount of logistics supplied by the US military was even more astonishing. According to statistics, during the war, the US military delivered more than 3 million tons of supplies to the Gulf region, an average of 70,000 tons per day. An infantry division consumes more than 4,000 tons of supplies every day, more than six times that of the Vietnam War. On January 17, 1991 alone, the U.S. military airlifted 12,000 tons of supplies to the Gulf region, setting a new record in the history of airlift. In order to ensure logistical supply, the US military has used a large number of transport aircraft, including civilian cargo planes, with a total of more than 400 planes.
It is not difficult to see from these figures that modern warfare has higher and higher requirements for logistical support, and logistical input is increasing year by year. According to statistics, during World War II, the ratio of logistics personnel to combat personnel was about 1 to 1.7, and by the Gulf War, the ratio reached 1 to 0.7, which means that there were more logistics personnel than combat personnel.
Huge logistical consumption also means huge expenses. Taking the US military in Afghanistan as an example, the annual cost of bottled water in one camp alone is as high as $23 million, and a rough estimate shows that the US military in Afghanistan spends hundreds of millions of dollars on drinking water every year. The monthly food cost of an average soldier is about $600, and the 380,000 garrison spends more than $200 million a year just on food.
It can be seen that in modern warfare, it is far from enough to rely on donations of 140 billion yuan. The logistical costs of a slightly longer war can easily be hundreds of billions or trillions of yuan, not counting the combat costs. Therefore, in times of peace, we must be prepared for danger in times of peace, take precautions, and must not place our hopes on temporary donations. Only by having more reserves in normal times can we deal with critical moments freely.
Case Study: The Huge Costs of Regional Wars
Having said so much, the high cost of modern warfare equipment and the high consumption of logistics support may still be a bit abstract. Let's look at a few practical examples of how much a regional war actually costs.
Let's start with the Gulf War. In 1991, the United States organized a military operation codenamed "Desert Storm" to expel the Iraqi army that had invaded Kuwait. Although the war lasted only 42 days, the US military invested as many as 500,000 troops, 1,800 combat planes of various types, and more than 2,000 tanks. During the war, the U.S. military dropped 88,000 tons of bombs and fired more than 33,000 missiles. According to statistics, the total expenditure of the US military in this war is as high as 61 billion US dollars, and the average daily expenditure is 145 million US dollars. And this is only the cost of the United States, if you add the military spending of Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and other countries, the total is afraid to exceed 100 billion US dollars.
Let's take a look at the war in Iraq. In March 2003, the United States launched a military strike against Iraq, citing Iraq's possession of weapons of mass destruction. The war lasted more than eight years and was the longest war in the United States since the Vietnam War. According to statistics, from 2003 to 2010 alone, the United States spent more than $740 billion on the Iraq war, with an average annual expenditure of $93 billion. If you include the pre-withdrawal spending in 2011, the total is likely to be close to $1 trillion. The total cost of the Iraq war is estimated to be more than $2 trillion.
The war in Afghanistan has burned a lot of money. In 2001, the United States launched the war in Afghanistan and did not withdraw its troops until 2021, a full 20 years. In this protracted war on terror, the United States has invested a lot of manpower and material resources. According to statistics, the United States has spent as much as $2.3 trillion on military spending in Afghanistan in the past 20 years, with an average of more than $100 billion per year. In 2011 alone, 100,000 U.S. troops fought in Afghanistan and spent nearly $120 billion on military spending. If you add in the spending of Afghan government forces and NATO allied forces, the total is even more difficult to estimate.
Even in some small-scale local wars, the burning of money is staggering. For example, in the Nagorno-Karabakh War that broke out in 2020, the warring parties, Armenia and Azerbaijan, are not developed countries, but the cost of the war is not low. According to incomplete statistics, Armenia lost $240 million in drones, $400 million in tanks, $100 million in artillery, $150 million in air defense systems, etc., in 44 days of war, with a total loss of more than $1 billion. And Azerbaijan's losses are not low, estimated at more than $2 billion. The war dealt a severe blow to the Armenian economy, and Armenia had to pay $5 billion in war reparations after the war, which can be said to be worse.
It can be seen from this that even if the scale of a regional war is small, the military expenditure is staggering, often in the tens of billions or hundreds of billions of dollars. Not to mention those large-scale wars that last for several years and involve hundreds of thousands of troops, they really burn money like running water, and even a superpower like the United States has to bear tremendous financial pressure, not to mention other countries? Therefore, peaceful development is the last word, and once a war breaks out, even if it is a local war, the cost will be unimaginably high.
How long can 140 billion yuan be sustained?
After reading the high cost of modern war equipment, the high consumption of logistical support, and the astonishing expenses of several regional wars, I believe that everyone has a more intuitive understanding of the burning of money in war. So, back to the question at the beginning of the article, if the people of the whole country donate 100 yuan per person and raise 140 billion yuan, how long can this money last?
For a medium-sized local war, 140 billion may be able to support it for a while. In the Nagorno-Karabakh War in 2020, for example, the losses of the two warring sides, Armenia and Azerbaijan, were about $1 billion and $2 billion, respectively, for a total of only $3 billion. If there is 140 billion yuan, at the exchange rate of 1 US dollar to 7 yuan, it is almost 20 billion US dollars, which is enough in terms of funds. But the problem is that a war is not only a matter of money, but also needs to be supported by weapons, equipment, logistics and other aspects. How much weapons and equipment can be bought with 140 billion yuan, and how much logistical materials can be transported? These are all issues that need to be considered.
For a slightly longer regional war, 140 billion is somewhat stretched. Taking the 2003 Iraq War as an example, from 2003 to 2010 alone, the United States spent more than $740 billion on military spending in Iraq, with an average of $93 billion a year. 140 billion yuan, converted into US dollars, is 20 billion, which is not enough for the US military to spend a year. What's more, the Iraq war lasted for eight years, and the total expenditure of the US military is probably close to $1 trillion. In the face of such huge war expenses, 140 billion is a drop in the bucket.
If it is a war between major powers, then 140 billion may not last for a few days. During World War II, the United States spent $296 billion on the war effort over a four-year period. If converted to the current dollar, this figure may have multiplied several times. For example, the U.S. military's spending on the war in Afghanistan has accumulated to $2.3 trillion in 20 years, with an average of more than $100 billion per year. 140 billion yuan, or about 20 billion US dollars, is enough for the US military to fight in Afghanistan for more than two months. What's more, the intensity of the war in Afghanistan is incomparable to the head-to-head confrontation between the great powers. Once a major power goes to war, the troops invested by both sides and the weapons and equipment used cannot be compared with the Gulf War and the Afghanistan War. It is possible to burn tens of billions or hundreds of billions every day. At such a rate of burning money, 140 billion will be enough to last for three or five days at most.
Of course, this is not to say that individual donations are meaningless. Although 140 billion yuan is only a drop in the bucket in the face of the entire war cost, this money is enough to purchase a batch of advanced weapons and equipment. More importantly, individual donations reflect the patriotic enthusiasm and cohesion of the whole people to participate in the national crisis. It is more of a spiritual force, a precious national spirit. We have every reason to believe that with the unity of the whole nation, with this spirit of sharing the same hatred for the enemy and going to the national disaster together, and with a solid material foundation, we will certainly be able to win the final victory in the war.
Peace, however, is the last word. Of course, we must be prepared for danger in times of peace, but we must also strive for peace. Settling disputes through peaceful means and resolving differences through dialogue and consultation is the best choice in the interests of the people of all countries. Even if we have to fight, we must try to avoid large-scale wars and minimize losses and costs. Only when we are safe and healthy, and the country and the people are safe, can we live a happy and happy life.