Afghanistan war to cost $10.2B

WASHINGTON - U.S. costs for the fighting in Afghanistan should be $10.2 billion this year, Congress&#39; nonpartisan budget analyst is estimating, about one-third what President Bush wants for the Pentagon&#39;s overall war against terrorism. <br> <br> The estimate by the Congressional Budget Office assumes that the Pentagon, as announced, will withdraw some troops and ships from the area and that fewer targets remain than existed when the war began last October. The projection covers the federal budget year that runs through Sept. 30. <br> <br> ``If operational conditions change from those assumed in the estimate, however, then the costs may be higher or lower than CBO estimates,&#39;&#39; the budget agency wrote in an April 10 letter providing the data to Sen. Pete Domenici, R-N.M. <br> <br> The estimate excluded the Defense Department&#39;s broader costs of battling terrorism in the United States, such as flying combat air patrols over some American cities, or in other parts of the world besides central Asia. It also omitted the price of economic and humanitarian aid to Afghanistan and nearby nations. <br> <br> So far this year, Congress has provided $17.4 billion to the Defense Department for the overall war against terrorism abroad and at home. In March, President Bush requested another $14 billion for the Pentagon for the remaining months of this budget year. Lawmakers have yet to begin writing that bill. <br> <br> The Pentagon and Bush administration have provided little public information about precisely how much of that anti-terrorism money has paid for U.S. operations in and around Afghanistan, which have involved hundreds of aircraft, 80,000 troops and dozens of ships. <br> <br> Pentagon officials estimated in February that the war was costing about $1.8 billion per month, but that included the costs of Defense Department activity in the United States. <br> <br> According to figures the Pentagon privately provided lawmakers in recent weeks, the Afghanistan war had cost $4.4 billion through Feb. 12. For the same period, the Defense Department said it spent nearly $3.5 billion at home, mostly for calling up National Guard and Reserve troops and for air patrols over U.S. cities. <br> <br> Of the CBO cost estimate, the biggest share was $7.9 billion for operating aircraft and ships, equipping ground troops, replacing munitions and repairing equipment. <br> <br> Another $1.2 billion was for moving troops and equipment to central Asia, and $1.1 billion was for salaries and other personnel costs. <br> <br> The estimate covered only costs incurred because of the fighting in Afghanistan. For example, the regular salaries of troops was not included, but combat pay was.

http://accesswdun.com/article/2002/4/202488