The true price of America's defense isn't just measured in the $800 billion official defense budget. It approaches $1.4 trillion when accounting for all related costs. But even this staggering figure doesn't capture what matters most: defense's most profound price: the human one, from military recruiters to enlistees in training to families on overseas bases, and communities shaped by global military commitments to our profoundly injured veterans, these are lives forever changed by service and America's role in world affairs.