With military costs since Sept. 11,
2001, now expected to exceed $300 billion, the Pentagon is spending
more per soldier to fight in Iraq, Afghanistan and elsewhere than it
did during earlier conflicts. High technology, the costs of paying and
protecting a modern soldier, and the worldwide nature of the war on
terrorism are all possible reasons, experts say. "Every facet of
military expenditure has skyrocketed since the Gulf War," said Loren B.
Thompson, a military expert with the Lexington Institute. "The biggest
reason why is because the military is more and more a microcosm of the
broader economy." The all-volunteer force, put in place by
President Nixon in 1973 to replace the draft, has forced the military
to compete with the private sector for soldiers, and offer better pay
and benefits, he said. Sending those soldiers to war costs still more.
"The bottom-line problem with the all-volunteer force is you have to
convince middle-class people to risk their lives for middle-class pay,
so of course the price for each soldier keeps going up," he said.
According to government figures, the war in Iraq costs about $4.3
billion a month, and the war in Afghanistan runs another $800 million.
That money goes for a variety of things, including fuel, ammunition,
hazard pay for the soldiers and repair and replacement of weapons and
vehicles. On average, the government spent a similar amount
monthly on the Vietnam War between 1965 and 1975, according to figures,
adjusted for inflation, from the Congressional Research Service. [more] and [more]
Afghanistan: Legitimacy of the US occupation :: Part One [more]
Bush Wants $82 Billion More for Iraq, Afghan Costs. President Bush on Monday urged Congress to approve quickly his request
for $82 billion to cover the costs of military operations in Iraq and
Afghanistan and a myriad of other internationally related expenses. "The majority of this request
will ensure that our troops continue to get what they need to protect
themselves and complete their mission,'" Bush said in a statement
released before the White House officially sent the supplemental budget
request to Capitol Hill. "It also provides for the continued pursuit of
al-Qaida and other terrorist elements in Afghanistan and elsewhere,"
the president said. .[more]
and [more]
