system
Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:
human
ELI5: How is war profitable

I was wondering this when I debated war with my brother who said, that at least war and tax money going to the us army is not wasted, since war is profitable.  
But how is war profitable? The Iraq war cost 5 trillion dollars, which is more money than exists in the entire world. And the US military has an annual budget of 500 Billion, which is about switzerlands GPD.   
So how can you possibly recuperate that much money? Because that is more money than oil could possibly be worth.  
So how does the US military make its money back?
gpt
War is profitable to specific people/institutions.  It comes with a commensurate loss by others (ex: taxpayers).

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That money being spent goes to defense contractors like Blackwater, Lockheed Martin, McDonnell Douglas, and they get rich.  When government spends money, that money goes into the economy, usually boosting it because there's more money floating around.   Is there a lot of debt?  Yes.  

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War is costly for some and profitable for others.  The US military makes its money back by asking for more spending by the government into the defense budget.