The Long-Term Costs of War - The Price of Life, Economics of Casualties & Russia's War

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For a military in the middle of a major war, using more infantry might seem like a relatively cheap, quick way to add more combat power to a force - but how cheap is it really?

The answer depends on how you value human life and the long term impacts of losses on the economy. And so today, courtesy of a Patron vote, that's what we're going to try and do.

Patreon:
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Reading and Sourcing:

UK Treasury Green Book (2022, updated 2024)
https://www.gov.uk/government/publica...

UK Govt TAG data book
https://www.gov.uk/government/publica...

Russian KIA age data per Mediazona
https://en.zona.media/article/2025/08...

NATO personnel expenditure figures per
https://www.nato.int/cps/en/natohq/ne...

RAND - VA Spending data / charts
https://www.rand.org/pubs/research_re...

Rostec Labour productivity data per
https://jamestown.org/program/rostecs...

Lattanzio & Stevens Wounded Veterans, Wounded Economy: The Personnel Costs of Russia’s War
https://warontherocks.com/2024/07/wou...

OECD GDP per hour worked
https://www.oecd.org/en/data/indicato...

Michael Lanthier - War Widows and the Expansion of the French Welfare State
https://quod.lib.umich.edu/w/wsfh/064...

14.5 million ruble cost for KIA Russian soldier
https://fortune.com/2024/11/16/russia...

TASS reporting on veteran healthcare
https://tass.ru/obschestvo/17494757

Featured DW article
https://www.dw.com/en/back-from-the-f...

RAND - Retention vs training costs
https://www.rand.org/content/dam/rand...

Reporting on Russian emigres
https://en.thebell.io/russias-650-000...

UK inflation adjustments per
https://www.bankofengland.co.uk/monet...

IISS - Personnel vs. capital: the Indian defence budget
https://www.iiss.org/online-analysis/...

Relevant reporting
https://www.rferl.org/a/russia-black-...

https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/...

https://www.kommersant.ru/doc/5886745

https://www.themoscowtimes.com/2025/0...

Russian teenage casualties
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/ce9...

RAND - The Russian Military's Looming Personnel Crises of Retention and Veteran Mental Heath
https://www.rand.org/pubs/commentary/...

Understanding Military Children’s Mental Health: Evidence-Based Resources and Trauma-Informed Approaches
   • Understanding Military Children’s Mental H...  

The Origins of Western Military Pensions - Ch3
https://pensionresearchcouncil.wharto...

Caveats & Comments:

All normal caveats and comments apply. In particular – I note that this material has been created for entertainment purposes and is not intended to be a complete examination of the topic and should not be relied upon to inform financial or other any other views and/or decisions.

Any content relating to the conduct, views, activities or any aspect of any person or character in this video is included for entertainment purposes and does not represent an assertion of fact on those matters or any matters in relation to that person or character.

Care has been taken in compiling data, quotes, and other inputs from various sources but errors can occur. Quotes and included data should be considered illustrative, not definitive and their veracity should not be relied on.

Reporting on Agnipath
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-i...

US retention and recruitment spending figure
https://www.military.com/daily-news/2...

Ukraine training cost figure
https://english.nv.ua/nation/bmt-in-u...

French budget figure 1926
https://time.com/archive/6659439/fran...

Timestamps:
00:00:00 — Opening
00:00:55 — What Am I Talking About?
00:03:28 — "Cheap" Manpower
00:06:46 — The Cost Base
00:08:54 — Retention
00:24:27 — the Cost Tail
00:38:45 — Wider Costs
00:41:04 — Demographics
00:54:07 — Capital-intensive Warfare
00:58:37 — Preparation is Paramount
00:59:50 — Training and Service
01:01:41 — Channel Update