The True Cost of a Javelin Missile

In his book War, author and war correspondent Sebastian Junger wrote, “Each Javelin (missile) round costs $80,000, and the idea that it’s fired by a guy who doesn’t make that in a year at a guy who doesn’t make that in a lifetime is somehow so outrageous it almost makes the war seem winnable.” It’s a striking line—short, sharp, and perfectly crafted for the brutal absurdities of modern war. But like many things in conflict, the truth is even more staggering: the most recent Javelin variants cost nearly three times that amount. By FY2021, the price tag of a G-model Javelin was over $216,000 per round… and that’s just for the missile. That doesn’t account for R&D, shipping training, sustaining, or what goes into fielding the US soldier that goes with it.

I am familiar with, and a fan of, much of Sebastian Junger’s work. In addition to War, he also wrote Tribe, and produced the wartime documentary Restrepo. Many people who know Junger’s military-related work don’t know that he also wrote The Perfect Storm, which eventually became a major motion picture. Journalistically, the man gets around.

I actually met Junger once, many years ago, when he came to West Point. I found him interesting, thoughtful, and humble. To me, he had the look and manner of a retired MMA fighter; he looked fit, confident, and self-assured. He was friendly to our cadets. And he knew how to talk to a crowd. Although he never served in uniform, he had more time in combat zones that a lot of military veterans. He understands how military people think, how they move, and how they act. And he understands the absurdity of modern warfare, as evidenced by his Javelin missile vignette.

The Economics of Firepower

The Javelin is more than a weapon. It’s a symbol of Western military might: man-portable, precision-guided, and capable of knocking out tanks worth millions. Soldiers love it because it works; commanders love it because it levels the playing field; taxpayers, however, might not realize that every trigger pull represents nearly a quarter of a million dollars vaporizing into smoke and flame.

The irony Junger captured still holds. Young Americans—often from small towns, making modest paychecks—are entrusted with weapons whose unit cost could buy a house in their hometown. And they’re usually firing those weapons at adversaries who may never in their lifetime see anything worth that amount, let alone wield it in combat. This disconnect is part of the enduring madness of modern war: wars are fought by the young and underpaid, but financed with the kind of sums that could transform entire communities back home. Often, the combatants on both sides don’t really know why they’re even fighting in the first place.

What Price Victory?

There’s an old military adage that I used to use often when I taught cadets at West Point: “Amateurs talk tactics, professionals talk logistics.” What’s missing from that aphorism is the reality of economics. Each Javelin fired is not just a tactical decision—it’s a fiscal one. Military planners must weigh cost against necessity, destruction against deterrence. To the grunt on the ground, though, it’s much simpler: does it kill the tank in front of me, yes or no?

The juxtaposition Junger noted—the soldier’s salary versus the weapon’s cost—reveals more than just disparity. It highlights a system where the value of human life and human labor are out of sync with the tools of war. For every $216,000 missile fired, there’s a soldier who may go home to struggle with student loans, a spouse balancing a household budget, or a family dependent on military pay tables that haven’t kept pace with inflation.

Conclusion: The Bill Comes Due

The Javelin is, without question, a game-changing weapon. It’s kept allies alive, tilted battlefields in Ukraine, and reminded the world that U.S. technology is unmatched. But at what cost? The United States will continue to produce and fire Javelins, because the alternative—facing down armored columns without them—is unthinkable.

Still, Junger’s quote lingers, and the updated math makes it even sharper. Every launch is a reminder: in war, value is distorted. Dollars, lives, and futures all get burned up in the same flash of fire, smoke, and steel. And when the last missile is fired and the last receipt tallied, the question will remain: did the cost bring us closer to victory, or just deeper into debt?

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Lieutenant Colonel (Retired) Charles Faint served 27 years in the US Army, including seven combat tours in Iraq and Afghanistan with various Special Operations Forces units. He also completed operational assignments in Egypt, the Philippines, and the Republic of Korea. He is the owner of The Havok Journal and the executive director of the Second Mission Foundation. The views expressed in this article are his own and do not reflect those of the US Government or any other person or entity.

As the Voice of the Veteran Community, The Havok Journal seeks to publish a variety of perspectives on a number of sensitive subjects. Unless specifically noted otherwise, nothing we publish is an official point of view of The Havok Journal or any part of the U.S. government.