How Many US Troops are Really in Iraq? (260,000!)

[TexasLawyer]

http://www.counterpunch.org/wheeler04272006.html

April 27, 2006
How Many US Troops are Really in Iraq?
How Much is the War in Iraq Costing?

By WINSLOW T. WHEELER

The Congressional Research Service has just released a new report on the past and possible future costs of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Pending Congress’ action on the new emergency supplemental, which should complete fiscal year 2006 expenses, the costs will be up to $439 billion by the end of this year. But that’s just the tip of the iceberg; details follow. The full report is available at www.cdi.org/smrp.

<snip>

There has been discussion of an “in-house” Army estimate of its “reset” costs at $36 billion; the Marine Corps has estimated $11.7 billion for themselves. However, these estimates do not appear to be comprehensive.

Public estimates of the number of troops deployed for Iraq do not always include those performing support in Kuwait and elsewhere in the region. CRS estimates total troop deployments for Operation Iraqi Freedom in September 2005 to be 260,000.

Average per troop costs for Iraq are between $355,000 and $360,000 per individual, per year; this dollar amount has been increasing since 2003.

Winslow T. Wheeler is the author of The Wastrels of Defense.

[cliss]

1. 260,000?

I always thought it was 152,000 US troops (not counting "coalition" forces). Or does this include Afghanistan?

[TexasLawyer]

2. in " Iraq" versus supporting "Operation Iraqi Freedom"

I think what the article is getting at is that there are huge numbers of soldiers in Kuwait and elsewhere in the Middle East who are acting in direct support of the US mission in Iraq.

These soldiers might be outside the line of fire, but when considering the expense and human toll (people called away from jobs, school, and family, etc...) of the Iraq war, these soldiers should be included.

[TexasLawyer]

3. and I hope that troop reductions

that Condi has been promising will be reductions out of Iraq, and not just out of the overall OIF theater.

Not that actual troop reductions are a certainty, since it all hinges on "progress" in Iraq.