War costs to Pentagon approach $5bn a month

[PfcHammer]

http://news.ft.com/servlet/ContentServer?pagename=FT.com/StoryFT/FullStory&c=StoryFT&cid=1079420521418&p=1012571727162

War costs to Pentagon approach $5bn a month
By Peter Spiegel in Washington
Published: April 22 2004 5:00 | Last Updated: April 22 2004 5:00

Senior Pentagon officials yesterday said the war in Iraq was costing $4.7bn per month, a price tag they said could rise with US troop levels higher than planned and combat intensifying.

General Richard Myers, the US's top uniformed commander, told a congressional hearing the decision to keep an extra 20,000 soldiers in Iraq through the summer would probably cost an extra $700m over the next three months.

"The increased operation tempo keeping 20,000 an additional tour in Iraq is going to cost us more money," Gen Myers said. Although the rise in US troop numbers - from 115,000 to 135,000 - is only authorised through June, Gen Myers hinted those levels could be retained for several more months, since US forces will need to fill in for departing Spanish troops, who had commanded the international division in south-central Iraq.

Gen Myers said the increased spending meant the Pentagon was facing a $4bn shortfall in war funding, but added officials were working on budgeting - possibly deferring acquisition programmes that are not essential - to ensure adequate cash through to the end of the fiscal year, which finishes on September 30.

<chop>

[booksenkatz]

1. So the Pentagon is self-financed these days?

Why don't they say it plainly: WAR COSTS TO YOU AND TO ME APPROACH $5BN A MONTH. Or does that sound too, um, expensive? Or too partisan? They've emptied the treasury. Why are they trying to put lipstick on this pig?

[July]

2. Paragraph #3 -- WOW

The higher levels -- 20,000 extra troops -- "could be retained for several more months, since US forces will need to fill in for departing Spanish troops . . .." This is the argument used to justify the extra tours of duty and a boatload of extra cost.

Those are some mighty Spanish troops! When all 1,300 of them are gone, they must be replaced by 20,000 American troops (to the tune of $700m for 3 months)! That makes one Spanish soldier = 15+ American soldiers! Should we send our troops over to Spain to train? Then we can reduce our force to about 8,775 soldiers!

They. Will. Say. Anything.

No. Matter. How. Dumb.

[samsingh]

3. does a lot of this money end up in the pockets

of shrub's friends?