"In a follow-up statement to CBS News, a spokesperson for Gen. Casey, Lt. Col. Rich Spjegel, said that 'General Casey was speaking of the types of conflict we will be fighting for a decade or so. He did not, nor did he intend to, imply that we would be fighting in Iraq or Afghanistan for 10 more years.'"
No, I think that's exactly what "a decade or so" means, General Casey. Way to CYA.
Anyway, how can anyone possibly believe that Islamist-sponsored terrorism will just disappear after 10 years no matter what we do?!? So his "types of conflict" clarification is a horrible revelation in its own right, because logically it can only mean we'll be fighting and occupying other countries besides Afghanistan and Iraq!
So anyway, at the start of 2010 the U.S. had already spent $1.075 trillion on Iraq and Afghanistan. $708 billion of that has been spent in Iraq since 2003. But with Iraq lately getting fewer troops and resources than Afghanistan, in America's next decade at war look for that ratio to flip-flop. Keeping one U.S. soldier in Afghanistan costs from $500,000 to $1 million per year, estimates vary. U.S. troops numbers are expected to "peak" this year in Afghanistan at 98,000, but we all know how that song and dance goes. Petraeus or another general will tell us next year that we'll be thiiiis close to "winning" if we'll just commit to another troop surge. But let's kid ourselves and pretend we'll draw down to 50,000 in both countries:
100,000 U.S. troops in Afghanistan and Iraq x $500,000 per year x 10 years = $500 billion. Throw in another $200 million for training and equipping Afghan and Iraqi police, plus another $50 billion for diplomatic and development costs = $750 billion.
This estimate doesn't include the cost of medical insurance and lifetime disability for wounded troops, which could jack the cost well into the $ trillions.
All you fiscally conservative Repugs and teabaggers can thank me in advance for opening your eyes to the cost of running two occupations. Now I'm sure you'll do the right thing and call up your Congressmen and threaten to to un-elect them if they keep voting for war appropriations, right? Because it's all about the dollars & cents, right? We can't afford to keep taxing & spending, right? Right. I'm glad we're all on the same page.
By Christine Delargy
July 9, 2010 | CBS News
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