In comments today Vice Admiral Mark Harnitchek, the director of the Defense Logistics Agency, provided some of the most specific details about the costs of the supply lines for the NATO occupation of Afghanistan yet seen by the public.
According to Vice Adm. Harnitchek, a cargo container from the US to Afghanistan costs about $20,000 in shipping by the current overland routes, and that cargo sent by sea to Karachi and then ferried in across the Afghan-Pakistan border costs only about a third of that price.
Coupled with recent claims by Leon Panetta that the loss of the Pakistan route costs an additional $100 million a month, that would amount to about 7,500 containers are sent per month.
And despite some unconfirmed reports that the loss was actually putting a strain on supplies to the occupation, Harnitchek insists that supply rates inside Afghanistan have “never been higher.” It’s just costing far, far more.
Pakistan closed the border in late November, after a US air strike targeted a pair of military outposts and killed 24 soldiers. Pakistan has offered to reopen the borders for $1,500 per truck, which seems like it would be a significant saving for the US over the current situation, but Leon Panetta blasted it as “price gouging.”
I wonder how much the drone strikes cost per month. Too bad the natives can't use those heat seeking missiles that were so successful against the Soviets in the 1980's to take out the drones. Gee, one of those babies could cost over $170million, if the one that crashed in the Maryland swamp is any clue.
Forget the victims. If they were hit they absolutely must have been terrorists, so that the lives of any dead Pakistanis cannot have possibly been worth anything. Anyway, the notion of national sovereignty, international law, and human rights in any meaningful sense, doesn't exist for this Administration anywhere in the world. We must understand that this war and these strikes are, after all for our own "protection" (and the protection of the poor, backward Pakistanis, of course), even if we (or our Pakistani friends) are not permitted to find out the particulars or the legal basis for any of it. We can however rest assured that our interests are being watched over and assiduously guarded by Mme. Feinstein and the "Unholy Three" in the State Department- namely, Clinton, RIce and Power- as well as their male counterparts- though McCain, Lieberman, Graham, et al, are chafing at the bit to "cleanse" the area faster than our "communist" President is doing. How will it all end, you ask? Don't worry, it won't.
Surely, it will end the same way as it did last time. They found a 300,000-year-old coin and few other items in Illinois. Apparently, the last time we blew it all up was 300,000 years ago. youtube The Mysterious Origins of Man and http://www.mcremo.com Since 1970 the Pentagon has been aiming to replace MAD with Disarming First-Strike Capability. With the missiles in Eastern Europe it will be operational by 2018. Of course, this leads to Launch On Warning by 2017. 300,000 years later we´ll convince ourselves that we are an ape from Africa or that the Goddess made us 6,000 years ago. Descendants of the few survivors in the mountains can´t possibly know anything about past civilizations. But the evidence is available !
I looked up the website. Interesting. H.P. Blavatsky was talking about some of this back in the 1870's. There's definitely something to this.
thank you for sharing the article
I was just wondering who pays for the Afghan war—and I don’t mean paying in lives but dollars– the US or NATO. Both the US and EU claim their economies are in the dumps, so where do they get so much money to throw away in Af/Pak?
I just read that one of the cities in California is declaring bankruptcy. Can its citizens get their acts together and DEMAND of their central government to save some of the money that they waste in wars in faraway lands and spend it in that city? The trillions that were wasted in Iraq could do wonders in this country. I mean, look, isn’t this a government of, by, and for the people? If so, why are the people suffering? Doesn’t charity begin at home? Just who the hell are these people in Congress representing?
You know, sometimes I receive letters asking for donations, and sometimes I oblige, but I invariably get pissed off and want to SHOUT what can a few dollars from me and others do when the government spends millions of dollars on wars every day? Why don’t you write to your government to donate to your humanitarian and just cause? Yea, I want to SHOUT, but I never do.
Suggestions that the legal argument being secret is to suggest that Like "Yoos" Torture reasonings it would not stand the scrutiny of a first year law student!
As for the costs of shipping and the price gouging of the military, the Pentagon doesnt seem to be worried about the price Gouging of KBR and associates! I suppose that the Pakistanis dont provide Jobs to retired US Military at exhorbitant lobbying fees!
The border won´t be open anymore
They also want an apology. That seems to be far harder for the US to come up with than increased shipping costs.
I quit Anti-war. I have been convinced that it’s a corporate media all right. You won’t see me here again.
Signed: Mr Nathan Vassante
[moderator’s note: Have a nice life, Nathan – TLK]
Whoa dude. I can relate to the frustration, but I can’t follow the antiwar.com/corporate media connection. Any way you might supply some links, evidence or reasoning? Never mind the BS from snarky mediator blowing you off and acting like you’re insignificant. You really do matter. Please share your thought if you come back and read this.
[moderator’s note: Actually, sir, I’ve spent months engaging Nathan, responding to his concerns, debating him where I thought he was incorrect, attempting to assist him in not getting caught up in Antiwar.com’s spam filters, etc. If I considered him “insignificant,” I’d have just ignored him – TLK]
Don't make hasty decisions.
quick draw leon shoots himself in the foot, tries it again – same result, tries again…………..
As Osama Bin Laden's plan to financially destroy America continues apace.
Better if it cost 100x that much. Then maybe they'd wake up and smell the coffee. But then again this kind of money just makes them seem more important to themselves.
Is there a number that matters? Like 1000 times as much? It seems costs don't matter, only the alternative routing of the war machine being able to keep things rolling. Sometimes I think my head is going to explode.
Use the Iranian port Bander Abbas, then nice roads to Afghanistand and tho the northern provinces. WE used Irnaian assistance during Phase 1 Afghanistan. Iran will I believe be eager to get some relief on the sactions and mey be willing to tone down on the nuclear issue. For sure they will not collude with the Al Khaida.
Wow, what a great way to redistribute American wealth to a needy Central Asia.
The freemasons, Knights Templar, Knights of Malta, Rhodes Scholars, CIA, and FBI are destroying America for therir benefactor, The City of London. This is just another step or another incident of burning all bridges in all directions for no reason in particular by foreign based entities from positions in the American government.