> ## Content Index
> Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.cascadepbs.org/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further.

# The True Cost of Defense
- URL: https://www.cascadepbs.org/show/the-true-cost-of-defense/
- Published: 2025-10-04T07:05:21.000Z
- Updated: 2026-11-06T08:34:19.000Z
- Description: Peeling back layers of the U.S. defense budget reveals its deepest cost: the human one.
- Author: Cascade PBS Staff
- Tags: The True Cost of Defense, #show, #ZZZ_Show_92d59967-bbae-4093-beab-46c8c0453839, #showpage, #episodic_show, #v1.26

America's defense budget exceeds $800 billion, but the real cost goes deeper. The True Cost of Defense follows quadruple-amputee veteran Travis Mills, military recruiters, families on overseas bases, and communities shaped by global military commitments. It reveals defense's most profound price: the human one—lives forever changed by service and America's role in world affairs.