The cost of the build-up to war has already been substantial. Getting the military's high-tech arsenal half way around the world — along with 250,000 troops — has been a roughly $13 billion undertaking. And the monthly cost of maintaining this force is expected to be around $9 billion.
"A lot of the costs are very mundane, like bringing in fuel, bringing in food, building a laundry facility for troops in the region, paying for combat pay for military personnel, activating the reserves," says Steve Kosiak, a military analyst for the Washington, D.C-based think tank Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessment.
That works out to be $36,000 per soldier per month. Or $1200 per soldier per day. Or $50 per soldier per hour.
That is very, very expensive. Are we sure we can afford freedom and democracy for Iraq? |
