Litkicks Message Board Archive

The Iraq war is proving to be far costlier

CHART (1):


THE COST OF WAR
The Iraq war is proving to be far costlier than initial Bush
administration estimates. Adjusting for inflation, the nonpartisan Center for
Strategic and Budgetary Assessments estimated the cost of major U.S. wars of
the previous half-century:

Korean War, 1950-1953 $418 billion
Vietnam War, 1964-1975 $597 billion
Persian Gulf War*, 1990-1991 $84 billion
War in Iraq
(March 2003 projected to Sept. 30, 2004) $100 billion
(March 2003 projected to Sept. 30, 2005) $150 billion
*About 90 percent of these costs were paid by U.S. allies.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
CHART (2):
NATION'S COSTS FOR WAR AND SECURITY
Since Sept. 11, 2001, appropriations for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan,
homeland security and other federal anti-terrorism programs have soared. Here
is an estimate by the Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments for the
extra costs associated with those programs:

-- Response to and recovery from 9/11 terrorist attacks
Military operations related to combating
terrorism,including operations in Afghanistan
and homeland security $83 billion
Reconstruction and related aid to Afghanistan $3 billion
Non-Defense Department homeland security
and combating terrorism $65 billion
Victim relief and recovery from 9/11 attacks $16 billion
Subtotal $167 billion

-- War in Iraq and aftermath
Military operations (Defense Department)
through fiscal 2004* $105 billion
Subtotal $105 billion

-- Other
Reconstruction and related aid to Iraq $23 billion
Foreign aid (primarily to states supporting U.S. operations
in Afghanistan and Iraq) $7 billion
Aviation industry relief $2 billion
Other $1 billion
Subtotal $33 billion

-- General Department of Defense programs
(activities unrelated to terrorism, homeland security or Iraq) $101 billion
Subtotal $101 billion
Total $407 billion

* Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments estimate of projected
additional costs for Iraq and Afghanistan, fiscal 2005: approximately $50
billion.
Sources: Department of Defense, Office of Management and Budget,
Congressional Research Service, Congressional Budget Office


©2004 San Francisco Chronicle | Feedback | FAQ