War: A Costly Endeavor
A staggering report from CNS News shares just how costly the recent US airstrikes against ISIS have been. The article states that “The cost of U.S. air strikes against the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) may be approaching $1 billion, according to the Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments (CSBA). A report by the non-profit military policy research group released on Monday revealed that the bombing campaign against ISIS has already cost U.S. taxpayers somewhere between $780 and $930 million since air operations began in Iraq on August 8th.
Add $500 Million in Syrian Weapons and Training
This report comes not long after another from Pfhub which tells of an amendment to allow Obama to give as much as $500 million worth of aide to Syrian rebels. “The amendment allows the Pentagon to later submit reprogramming requests to shift funds within the budget if it needs money for the program. Those requests can be granted without full congressional approval, needing only authorization from certain committee leaders.” (Reuters)
“The amendment was actually suggested by the Republican Party as a way to give Obama the authority that he was requesting to provide weapons and training for the Syrian rebels. This amendment will stop the need for a debate on whether or not the White House should get the $500 million that it has asked for in order to provide that training and those weapons. It will give the president permission to basically go to war without the approval of Congress, which he seems to have done already.” (Pfhub)
Airstrikes, Fighting ISIS Costs About $300M Monthly
The report from CNS News adds that the fight against ISIS, including a “moderate level of air operations, coupled with a modest amount of ground forces” (2000 soldiers at an annual cost of one million dollars each) will cot America between $200 million to $320 million every month. During a press briefing held on September 25th, the Pentagon’s Press Secretary Navy Rear Admiral John Kirby sated that his “best estimate” for the “cost of current operations against ISIS is between $7 million and $10 million” daily.
The cost of war, of course, runs far deeper for Americans than the taxpayers money. For our soldiers and their families, loss of life, injuries, and emotional tolls can be far worse than the financial hardships which are placed on our country. Unfortunately, however those financial hardships are there are as well, and reports like these make us face exactly how much war is digging into our pockets. Words like “current” and “moderate” seem to imply that the cost of future endeavors could be much higher than they currently are. So what should we do? What can we do? Terrorist threats must be dealt with, but at what price? Answers welcomed in the comments below.
