U.S. war costs could run in the billions

By Calvin Woodward

Associated Press

WASHINGTON — A U.S. helicopter lost in Afghanistan a week ago cost up to twice as much as the government spends yearly on scenic byways. Each cruise missile is worth several American homes.

The total expense of the Afghan war may be nearly as hard to find as people hiding in Afghan caves. By one estimate, the military assault is costing $500 million to $1 billion a month — not including the $1 billion in promised U.S. economic assistance to Pakistan, and debt relief for the country.

The Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments, a private research group that closely examines the cost of war, offered that monthly figure. Precision is impossible without knowing more about how many bombs are being dropped and what is happening with U.S. forces on the ground, among other variables.

Still, parts of the war are adding up: the estimated $5,000 an hour to fly a Navy FA-18 fighter-bomber, the $25,600 cost of one of the frequently used Joint Direct Attack Munition bombs, the top-of-the-line Tomahawk cruise missiles.

As for a running total, "It’s very much ballpark," said Steven Kosiak, the center’s director of budget studies. Some other analysts have projected higher costs.

Stretched over a year, the price of the war could be $12 billion, half of what the federal government spends on medical research.

By comparison, the bombing campaign against Yugoslavia in 1999 cost the United States about $3 billion.

The 1991 Persian Gulf War cost America an estimated $61 billion, but all but about $7 billion was reimbursed by allies. By some accounting methods, the United States may have even made a profit.

Munitions at the disposal of U.S. forces in the Afghan war vary wildly in price.

From the bargain basement: the 500-pound M-117, dropped from a heavy bomber, for a mere $300 apiece.

At the high end: Tomahawk cruise missiles costing $600,000 to $1 million each, many times more than the $147,100 median price of an American home.

U.S. officials said 50 Tomahawks alone were launched in the opening assault, some from British forces, making an expensive debut. Dependence on cruise missiles has lessened since then.

Munitions used on the Taliban include 15,000-pound BLU-82 "daisy-cutter" bombs, costing $27,000 each. The bunker-busting GBU-37 costs $231,000 apiece, according to the Federation of American Scientists.

America lost a Pave Low helicopter — valued at $40 million, about double last year’s budget for National Scenic Byways projects — in bad weather in Afghanistan, and an $11 million Black Hawk chopper in Pakistan.

Kosiak came to his projection in two ways: one using costs of strike missions over Kosovo and Iraq and applying them to the current conflict, the other by adding up everything known about the Afghan campaign.

Altogether, he calculated that the first 25 days cost $400 million to $800 million.