war cost

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Pentagon Late Fees for Storage Boxes: $720M

Overdue containers can cost $2,200 each

(Newser) - The Pentagon has racked up a few late fees for metal containers it has rented and failed to return on time. Nothing serious—just a little more than $720 million during the past 10 years. Used for storage, building material, and shelter in Iraq and Afghanistan, the 20-foot containers can...

Time for a War Tax to Cover Our Debts

10% surcharge could cover next year's bill: Walter Pincus

(Newser) - With the debt supercommittee looking to slash the deficit, some in Washington are raising an old question, notes Walter Pincus in the Washington Post : What about a tax on the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan? “These wars ought to be paid for and not put on a credit card...

US War Pricetag Nears $4 Trillion
 US Wars Price Tag Nears $4T 
Jun 30, 2011 4:52 AM CDT

US Wars Price Tag Nears $4T

Action in Afghanistan, Iraq, Pakistan approaching cost of WWII: study

(Newser) - The real cost of American military action in Afghanistan, Iraq, and Pakistan dwarfs the $1.3 trillion appropriated on Capitol Hill, according to a study by Brown University's nonpartisan Eisenhower Research Project. The study estimates that the war bills already paid or obligated to be paid are at least...

Afghan Calculus: 40K Troops Equals $40B

High long-term costs a big factor in debate

(Newser) - When President Obama rejected advisers' recommendations on Afghan troops and insisted they be retooled with exit strategies, he had the war's long-term financial costs in mind, an insider tells the New York Times . While military strategy gets the headlines, the financial constraints also are weighing heavily. Some specfics:
  • Gen. McChyrstal's
...

Afghan War Costs US $3.6B Per Month

Figure will go even higher if more troops are sent

(Newser) - Waging a war in Afghanistan ain’t cheap. The US is spending roughly $3.6 billion a month there, according to data from the Congressional Research Service, and that number is likely to rise precipitously as the Obama administration sends more troops. That estimate is based on 51,000 troops;...

War Spending Strategy: Soak the Grandkids
War Spending Strategy: Soak the Grandkids
OPINION
Jun 11, 2008 11:47 AM CDT

War Spending Strategy: Soak the Grandkids

War without taxes defies all of US history. Why are we allowing it?

(Newser) - As Congress tackles the latest "emergency" spending bill for Iraq and Afghanistan, bringing the total to more than $860 billion, Ruth Marcus notes in the Washington Post: "For the first time in American history, every penny of that amount will have been borrowed. For the first time, billions...

Petraeus Sees No New Troop Buildup in Iraq

General wraps up two days of testimony before Congress

(Newser) - Gen. David H. Petraeus told the House Armed Forces Committee today that he does not foresee another buildup of US armed forces in Iraq, calling the possibility of a new surge "a pretty remote thought in my mind." If violences escalates again, the Army will make do with...

Next Prez's To-Do: Fix Military
 Next Prez's To-Do: Fix Military 
OPINION
Mar 31, 2008 3:39 PM CDT

Next Prez's To-Do: Fix Military

Budget woes aren't the only defense issue facing White House's next denizen

(Newser) - Has President Bush done irreparable damage to our armed forces? Not necessarily, Phillip Carter and Fred Kaplan write in Slate, offering a to-do list for the next president to tackle as he or she begins the process of fixing a military "in strange shambles."
  1. Overhaul the budget: "
...

Iraq's Toll Spirals Into Trillions
Iraq's Toll Spirals Into Trillions
Mar 10, 2008 9:44 AM CDT

Iraq's Toll Spirals Into Trillions

Iraq may cost up to $12.5B each month

(Newser) - In 2002 Donald Rumsfeld envisioned an Iraq war price tag of "something under $50 billion," but a Harvard professor and a Nobel-prize winning economist now pin the total cost at $3 trillion, with a "running cost" of $12.5 billion a month. As the Iraq war enters...

Dems: Hidden Costs Double Price of War

$1.5T price tag on Iraq, Afghanistan tallies to $20,000 per family

(Newser) - The costs of waging war in Iraq and Afghanistan is actually $1.5 trillion, Democrats say in a report out today—far above the $802 billion spent or appropriated by Congress. Citing "hidden costs" such as higher oil prices, veterans' care, and interest on war debt, the report estimates...

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