CBO: Lengthy presence in Iraq will be costly

[unhappycamper]

CBO: Lengthy presence in Iraq will be costly
By William H. McMichael - Staff writer
Posted : Friday Sep 21, 2007 8:41:38 EDT

A long-term U.S. troop presence in Iraq similar to the extended presence in South Korea would cost taxpayers anywhere from $4 billion to $8 billion up front, with an annual tab for military operations that would range from $10 billion to $25 billion, according to a new government assessment.

At the request of Sen. Kent Conrad, D-N.D., the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office prepared two scenarios envisioning a future long-term U.S. military presence in Iraq. Both employed a baseline estimate of 55,000 troops in Iraq at any given time.

Under CBO’s “combat” scenario, troops would deploy to Iraq for specific periods before returning to their home bases, and would operate at roughly the same tempo and perform the same missions as troops now on the ground. This would require one-time costs of $4 billion to $8 billion and an annual cost of $25 billion. The annual cost would include $300 million for military construction.

In the “non-combat” scenario, 55,000 troops would serve one-year unaccompanied tours at established bases in Iraq or nearby countries, much as troops are assigned to U.S. bases in South Korea and Germany, and would “rarely, if ever, be engaged in combat operations.” About 10,000 of the troops would be engaged in training Iraqi military and police units. The up-front costs would run an estimated $8 billion, and annual costs would be $10 billion, CBO said.

At the present rate, the Pentagon says it spends $9 billion a month, or $108 billion annually, on the Iraq war. The Congressional Research Service says the monthly cost of the war is $10 billion, which works out to $120 billion a year. According to the Pentagon, the U.S. had spent a total of $340.3 billion in Iraq through Sept. 5.

Concerns over war costs arose in recent congressional hearings. During the Sept. 11 testimony of Army Gen. David Petraeus, for instance, Sen. Claire McCaskill, D-Mo., claimed that the cost of one month of the war “pays for health insurance for 800,000 American children.”


Rest of article at: http://www.navytimes.com/news/2007/09/military_longterm_presenceiraq_070920w/

[liberal N proud]

1. What was their first clue?

[OHdem10]

2. The Republicans known as "Starve the Beasters" consider

music to their ears. Use up our treasury until we use up
the social safety net and rid the government of the horrible
social programs called the safety net.

Grover Norquist is a Starve the Beaster--Taxcut, Taxcut,
until the Safety Net is gone.

They simply do not believe Social Safety Net should be
the function of government. Use up all the money and
you can tell the people --no more money.