@robbie: I don't see the "great conspiracy" to rip off the American public I see the work of fools borrowing money to cover their fuck ups in basic economic policy. If you look at the big percentage increases notwithstanding wars they were to cover the aftermaths of war spending -- war related recessions. Reagan's recession (1981) was inherited from Nixon and Carter -- the post Vietnam War and the Oil Shock economic wars that followed. Obama inherited a recession from G.W. Bush's crash of 2007 resulting from the most recent Middle Eastern Wars.
This is why I say global trade and less military conflict is good. You don't bomb your trading partners
There is little we can do but either ignore or war with people like ISIS (ISIL Daesh) -- it is a moral and political decision. We have to protect global trading partners like the Gulf oil producing states -- it is in world economic interest. Without oil we grind to a halt.
But if this war debt was debt was for R&D we could pay it off if the R&D succeeds in progress. If the R&D expense fails we are just stuck with the debt just like we are now with little benefit.
If we don't accrue any debt, can we as a nation do anything but stagnate? The alternative is to enact a 10% income tax increase on everyone to retire this excessive debt. That's a big tax increase! But that is the alternative ...