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Africa North
Cost of Libya Ops ~$900 million for Uncle Sucker
2011-08-23
The cost of U.S. military intervention in Libya has cost American taxpayers an estimated $896 million through July 31, the Pentagon said today. The price tag includes the amounts for daily military operations, munitions used in the operation and humanitarian assistance for the Libyan people.
This also includes food, medical supplies, boots, tents, uniforms, and personal protective gear. Wonder if the Libyan rebels are planning to use their new-found oil wealth to pay us for any of this stuff.
Over the past 12 days, U.S. planes have flown 391 sorties for a total of 5,316 since April 1, according to figures provided by the Defense Department. That total includes 1,210 airstrike missions over the same three and a half month period. The U.S. has also conducted 101 Predator drone strike missions in Libya.
I bet we did a LOT more drone strikes than are being reported.
Nobody is mentioning the lost opportunity cost of concentrating satellite views on Libya instead of Afghanistan/Pakistan or any other places the DoD/CIA could use overhead help...
A U.S. official credited NATO flight cover over the past many months with allowing the Libyan rebels enough time to eventually regroup and begin their pushes.

One significant offset to the cost of U.S. involvement in the flights worth noting is the sale of military equipment to allies also involved in the cause. Pentagon officials say the sale of ammunition, replacement parts, fuel, and technical assistance to allies since March has totaled $221.9 million.
Did we get cash up front from the Spanish and Italians? I wouldn't take a note from them. Of course, they shouldn't take one from us...
Posted by:Steve White

#4  CHARLES KRAUTHAMMER = doesn't believe that POTUS BAMMER = USA will commit or divert any major US ground forces to Iraq.

IIUC, IOW NATO-EU + Saudis + other Regional Muslim Govts have the ball irregardless of what happens to Gaddafi.

* ION NEWSMAX > US FEARS GADHAFI [in last stand]COULD UNLEASH CHEMICAL, NUCLEAR WMDS | LIBYA'S DEADLIEST WEAPONS ARE NOT YET CORRALLED.

Greatest fear of US INTEL + DOD Officials is that many or all of Libya's WMD Arsenal will ultimately fall into the hands of AL-QAEDA + OTHER MILTERR GROUPS, espec includ Libya's stockpiles of ...

> 500-900 metric tons of raw uranium yellowcake stored in drums at RABTA, east of Tripoli.
> 11 metric tons of MUSTARD GAS.
> roughly 30,000 MANPADS/AAMS.

Milyuhns + Dilyuhns of OTHER MIL ARMS, WARES.

* SAME > MIDDLE EAST EXPERT: [post-Assad]SYRIA'S WMDS COULD FALL TO ISLAMISTS. Large CHEMWAR caches + 000's of SCUDS.

* SAME > WALID PHARES: OBAMA, NATO MUST STOP LIBYA'S HARDLINE ISLAMISTS FROM TAKING POWER.
Posted by: JosephMendiola   2011-08-23 23:07  

#3  making the world safe for radical islam, one pesthole at a time.
Posted by: Creper Chitch2950   2011-08-23 17:23  

#2  US Casualties? Not a scratch? Or do we no longer publish such information?

$221.9 in ammo fees will no doubt be forgiven or returned via a Euro bail-out scheme.
Posted by: Besoeker   2011-08-23 08:32  

#1  And that's just the beginning.
Posted by: g(r)omgoru   2011-08-23 07:57  

00:01