High Cost of War on Terror to US

Imagine 610 billion dollars since 9/11. It is hard to even imagine that amount of money. I always wonder if the US can really afford to keep up such expenditures. The US dollar is already becoming weaker in relationship to other currencies.

High-Interest CRS Report:
The Cost of Iraq, Afghanistan, and Other Global War on Terror
Operations Since 9/11

from Docuticker by Shirl Kennedy

The Cost of Iraq, Afghanistan, and Other Global War on Terror
Operations Since 9/11 (PDF; 1 MB)

Source: Congressional Research Service (via Danger Room/Wired)

With enactment of the FY2007 supplemental on May 25, 2007,
Congress has approved a total of about $610 billion for military
operations, base security, reconstruction, foreign aid, embassy costs,
and veterans' health care for the three operations initiated since the
9/11 attacks: Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) Afghanistan and other
counter terror operations; Operation Noble Eagle (ONE), providing
enhanced security at military bases; and Operation Iraqi Freedom
(OIF).

The $611 billion total covers all war-related appropriations from
FY2001 through the May 25, 2007, enactment of the FY2007 Supplemental
(H.R. 2206/P.L.110-28) including both funds in supplementals and
regular appropriations acts for DOD, State Department/AID, and VA
Medical costs. For FY2007, funds for Iraq and Afghanistan were
appropriated in the FY2007 Supplemental, DOD's FY2007 Appropriations
(H.R. 5631/P.L.109-289), and the Year-Long Continuing Resolution
(H.J.Res 20/P.L.110-5).

Of the $610 billion appropriated thus far, CRS estimates that Iraq
will receive about $450 billion (74%), OEF about $127 billion (21%),
and enhanced base security about $28 billion (5%), with about $5
billion that CRS cannot allocate (1%). Of this total funding, 93% of
the funds is for DOD, 7% for foreign aid programs and embassy
operations, and less than 1% for medical care for veterans.
…
For the first half of FY2007, CRS estimates that DOD's average
monthly obligations for contracts and pay is running about $12 billion
per month, well above the $8.7 billion in FY2006. For FY2007,
obligations are about $10 billion in Iraq, $1.9 billion in
Afghanistan, and less than $100 million for enhanced security.

The Congressional Budget Office estimates that additional war
costs for the next 10 years could total about $472 billion if troop
levels fall to 30,000 by 2010, or $919 billion if troop levels fall to
70,000 by about 2013. If these estimates are added to already
appropriated amounts, total funding for Iraq and the GWOT could reach
from about $980 billion to $1.4 trillion by 2017. This report will be
updated as warranted.

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