In yet another lie from a war based on falsehoods, President George W. Bush offered inaccurate estimates on both the cost of his controversial “troop surge”plan and the number of American soldiers it will take to implement the program.
A report from the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) says Bush’s program will cost $10 billion this year, nearly three times the President’s claim when he went on national TV last month and could send up to 48,000 troops into the war, more than twice his claim.
Writes James Rosen of McClathey News Service:
If the additional troops remain in Iraq for more than a year, the CBO said, the cost could rise as high as $29 billion. And under traditional staging formulas, the added combat troops could require up to 28,000 support personnel, at a cost of another $12 billion through next year.
“Thus far, the Department of Defense has identified only combat units for deployment,” the CBO said. “However, U.S. military operations also require substantial support forces, including personnel to staff headquarters, serve as military police and provide communications, contracting, engineering, intelligence, medical and other services.”
The Pentagon says it can undertake the surge with a smaller support contingent.
The Congressional Budget Office said the troop increase would cost more because thousands of support personnel would have to accompany those sent into combat.It projected a range of costs tied to four scenarios for the surge, from one peaking at 35,000 troops and lasting 10 months to one peaking at 48,000 troops and lasting 18 months.
The agency gave cost projections for 48,000 new troops being in Iraq for four months at peak strength and for the same number for one year at peak strength; it made similar projections for 35,000 more troops over the same periods if fewer support personnel are needed as the Pentagon claims.
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