http://www.realcities.com/mld/krwashington/14455575.htmWASHINGTON - The cost of the war in Iraq is skyrocketing, largely because tanks, trucks, helicopters and other military gear are wearing out in Iraq's harsh climate and have to be replaced faster than ever before, a review of military budgets shows.
The Pentagon's cost for new weapons and equipment has risen sharply since U.S. troops entered Iraq, from about $8 billion in 2003 to more than $24 billion this year, according to statistics compiled by the Congressional Research Service. As a percentage, new equipment now accounts for 20 percent of military expenditures in Iraq and Afghanistan; in 2003, new equipment purchases accounted for about 10 percent of spending.
Pentagon spending also has shot up for so-called operations and maintenance in Iraq, from $43 billion a year in 2003 to $64 billion in 2006, though it's impossible to know precisely how much of that increase is due to repairs on damaged equipment. Those figures also include such items as costs for health care and Iraqi troop training.
The impact of the war on the military's preparedness is a growing point of concern. A report issued this week by two policy research groups in Washington, the Center for American Progress and the Lexington Institute, warned that wear and tear from the Iraq war might affect the military's ability to respond to a crisis.
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