Constantly trying to downplay the massive cost of the new ISIS war in both Syria and Iraq, the Pentagon today issued a statement claiming the “total cost of operations” has been $1.02 billion since the war began, an absurdly low number considering what’s involved.
At present, the US has some 1,700 ground troops in Iraq and has carried out 1,371 airstrikes across both Iraq and Syria, including scores of attacks with Tomahawk cruise missiles, which by themselves cost $1.5 million each.
With the Obama Administration funding the war through a discretionary fund, the specific amounts going into the conflict are being carefully kept from the public, but most estimates have the war costing conservatively $30-$40 billion annually, and that’s not counting the constant escalations.
The Pentagon has never been particularly good at doing things in a cost-effective manner, and even assuming this doesn’t include the cost of massive weapons shipments to Iraq, the official figure is preposterous.
And what has that accomplished so far?
Destroyed Syrian infrastructure and made lots of civilian casualties.
If I wasn't reading Antiwar.com I would not even know there was a war going on over there.
And the Pentegon does not even have money to pay the weapon contractors for the weapons it uses.
Meanwhile our country's infrastructure is crumbling while the USG builds roads and schools in the wilds of Afghanistan and Iraq. The priorities are all wrong.
"… but we're outsourcing arms support and first aid to Israel, so that cost contains some savings we implemented. "