Highlights of "Costs of War" research
Jun 29 2011
NEW YORK (Reuters) - Major findings from the "Costs of War" study on the financial and human costs of U.S. wars in Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan since 2001 by the Watson Institute for International Studies at Brown University.
FINANCIAL TOLL:
* Congressional war appropriations to Pentagon since 2001: $1.3 trillion
* Additions to Pentagon base budget: $362 billion to $652 billion
* Interest on Pentagon war appropriations: $185 billion
* Veterans' medical claims and disability: $33 billion
* War-related international aid: $74 billion
* Additions to Homeland Security base spending: $401 billion
* Projected obligations for veterans care to 2050: $589 billion to $934 billion
* Social costs to veterans and military families to date: $295 billion to $400 billion
Future spending requests:
* 2012 Pentagon war spending: $118 billion
* 2012 foreign aid: $12 billion
* 2013-2015 projected war spending: $168 billion
* 2016-2020 projected war spending: $155 billion
ESTIMATED TOTAL: $3.7 trillion to $4.4 trillion
ADDITIONAL interest payments to 2020: $1 trillion
CONSERVATIVE DEATH TOLL ESTIMATES BY WAR ZONE:
Afghanistan: 33,877
Iraq: 151,471
Pakistan: 39,127
CONSERVATIVE DEATH TOLL ESTIMATES BY CATEGORY:
U.S. military: 6,051
U.S. contractors: 2,300
Iraqi security forces: 9,922
Afghan security forces: 8,756
Pakistani security forces: 3,520
Other allied troops: 1,192
Afghan civilians: 11,700
Iraqi civilians: 125,000
Pakistani civilians and insurgents: 35,600
Afghan insurgents: 10,000
Iraqi army during U.S. invasion: 10,000
Journalists and media workers: 168
Humanitarian workers: 266
TOTAL: 224,475
(Reporting by Daniel Trotta; Editing by Cynthia Osterman)