BAGHDAD BARRIERS - U.S. Army Cpl. Logan Arthur, left, and Staff. Sgt. Troy Watson discuss how to maneuver concrete barriers in front of a voting site in the Washash neighborhood of northwest Baghdad, Iraq, Jan. 25, 2009. Arthur and Watson are assigned to the 1st Infantry Division's 2nd Brigade Combat Team. U.S. Army photo by Spc. Dustin RobertsFrom Stars And Stripes:
WASHINGTON — Ongoing combat operations overseas could cost the United States more than $860 billion over the next 10 years, further ballooning the defense budget, experts told Congress on Wednesday.
That total includes plans to dramatically draw down the number of troops in Iraq in the next few years, according to officials from the Congressional Budget Office.
Even with reducing the number of deployed combat troops to 75,000 worldwide, the CBO estimates that the Defense Department faces recurring personnel costs of at least $69 billion a year, coupled with other equipment repair costs.
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My Comment: If the war in Afghanistan gets worse .... and there is no reason to assume otherwise .... this war budget can easily go over a trillion dollars. If another war breaks out .... an implosion in Mexico, war with North Korea, war with Iran .... anything is possible.