The Cost of Fighting ISIS: Military Connection

By Debbie Gregory.

In 2003, President George W. Bush fired economic adviser Lawrence Lindsey after Lindsey suggested that the Iraq War might cost as much as $200 billion – a number others in the administration thought to be greatly exaggerated. But ultimately, that number ended up being an underestimation.

According to the Pentagon, the U.S. has spent more than $2.74 billion — or roughly $9.1 million per day — just in the fight against the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS.)

More than half of the budget has been spent on airstrikes, according to the Department of Defense. Just under a quarter has been spent on weapons, and the rest has been spent on missions involving military carriers and other operations.

Until U.S. airstrikes expanded to Syria in mid-September, the average daily cost totaled $5.6 million. From mid-September through late May, the average daily cost increased to $9.7 million.  By April, the U.S. had surpassed the $2 billion mark in its campaign against ISIS and passed the $1 billion mark in December.

The report comes days after the White House announced the administration is planning to deploy 450 additional U.S. troops to Iraq. About 3,050 U.S. service members currently serve in advisory or security roles in the country. About 3,050 U.S. troops are currently deployed in the country. The deployment of the additional U.S. troops is part of a plan to open a new training base in Iraq, which is expected to help local forces expand their footprint in Anbar province.

“It’s an adjustment that is significant, in that it gives us access to another Iraqi division and extends their reach into al Anbar province and gives us access to more tribes,” Army General Martin E. Dempsey, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said in a statement.

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The Cost of Fighting ISIS: Military Connection: by Debbie Gregory