> ## Content Index
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# The True Cost of Defense
- URL: https://www.cascadepbs.org/show/the-true-cost-of-defense/specials/the-true-cost-of-defense-mbtxzq/
- Published: 2025-10-22T19:46:35.000Z
- Updated: 2026-01-01T05:32:32.000Z
- 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, #ZZZ_Show_92d59967-bbae-4093-beab-46c8c0453839, #v1.7, #ZZZ_Special_83640d27-d143-4423-9fc1-e21289955de2, #special

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.