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Pentagon: War Cost Is $20 Billion So Far
The Iraq war has cost at least $20 billion and probably will consume that much or more in the next five months, the Pentagon's top budget officer said Wednesday. Cheap at twice the price. An additional $5 billion to $7 billion will be needed to pay for getting U.S. troops from the Persian Gulf region to their home bases, officials said. That process is just now beginning. Those totals do not include the yet to be calculated sums for postwar reconstruction of Iraq, the Defense Department's comptroller said at a news conference. The United States is counting on contributions from other countries to pay part of the rebuilding cost. Dov Zakheim said military operations in Iraq to date have cost about $10 billion to $12 billion. Personnel costs have been about $6 billion and the cost of munitions has been more than $3 billion. The figures include what it cost to move 250,000 troops to the Persian Gulf area. Between now and the end of the federal budget year on Sept. 30, the Pentagon expects to spend about $20 billion more on military operations inside Iraq, officials said. At his news conference, Zakheim explained how the Pentagon will use the $62.6 billion Congress has approved in supplemental spending over the Pentagon's $364 billion for the current budget year. Nearly all the new money is for the war in Iraq and the global fight against terror. The supplemental spending bill provides $1.4 billion to repay terrorism war allies such as Pakistan, which Zakheim said is spending $70 million a month searching its northern tribal areas for members of al-Qaida. Hmm, I think I know how we might save a few bucks ... Jordan also will be reimbursed, he said, without giving a figure. We got our money's worth there. Posted by: Steve White 2003-04-17 |
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