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Home Front: WoT
US War Against ISIL Could Cost Up To $22 Billion Per Year
2014-09-30
[IranPressTV] The US war against the ISIL terrorist group in Iraq and Syria may cost up to $22 billion per year, according a report released Monday by a Washington-based think tank.

If Arclight airstrikes against ISIL continue at the current level and 2,000 ground combat troops are deployed to Iraq, military operations could cost between $200 and $320 million per month, the Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments (CSBA) estimated.

If the US air campaign intensifies and 5,000 troops are put on the ground, the operation will cost between $350 million and $570 million per month for US taxpayers, the CSBA said.

However,
by candlelight every wench is handsome...
the think tank estimated that if Arclight airstrikes are expanded substantially and 25,000 US ground troops are deployed, the military campaign may cost between $1.1 and $1.8 billion per month.

"On an annualized basis, the lower-intensity air operations could cost $2.4 to $3.8 billion per year, the higher-intensity air operations could cost $4.2 to $6.8 billion per year, and deployment of a larger ground contingent could drive annual costs as high as $13 to $22 billion," CSBA predicted.

The US military has already spent between $780 million and $930 million in its campaign against the terrorist group so far, the think tank said.

The US and several of its allies began striking ISIL targets in Syria on September 23. American warplanes have already conducted hundreds of strikes against ISIL in Iraq since mid-August.

US President Barack Obama
I think when you spread the wealth around, it's good for everybody...
has ruled out American boots on the ground in a combat role, a promise many experts say might soon be broken.

Top military officials have said an air campaign alone would not be sufficient to achieve the announced goal of defeating ISIL, and that the US might ultimately be forced to send ground troops to combat.

According to a new survey, the majority of active-duty troops in the US military are opposed to sending ground soldiers to Iraq to battle ISIL, and believe the US war in Iraq was not successful.
Posted by:trailing wife

#5  That's kinda what I was thinking P2k.
Posted by: AlanC   2014-09-30 18:22  

#4  If you wipe them off the face of the earth, any reoccurring annual costs drop dramatically.
Posted by: Procopius2k   2014-09-30 12:46  

#3  The really important thing is to keep things going until after the year end profit statements go out.
Posted by: ed in texas   2014-09-30 09:20  

#2  How much in total with these RoEs vs. a win NOW attitude?
Posted by: AlanC   2014-09-30 07:21  

#1  $22 Billion - Piffle - Just keep rolling the money presses

Posted by: Wheresh Croluck9192   2014-09-30 01:36  

00:00