Order Code RL33110
CRS Report for Congress
Received through the CRS Web
The Cost of Iraq, Afghanistan, and Other Global
War on Terror Operations Since 9/11
Updated September 22, 2006
Amy Belasco
Specialist in National Defense
Foreign Affairs, Defense, and Trade Division
Congressional Research Service ˜ The Library of Congress

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The Cost of Iraq, Afghanistan, and Other Global War on
Terror Operations Since 9/11
Summary
Through FY2006, Congress has appropriated a total of about $437 billion for
military operations, base security, reconstruction, foreign aid, embassy costs, and
veterans’ health care for the three operations initiated since the 9/11 attacks:
Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) covering Afghanistan and other Global War on
Terror (GWOT) operations, Operation Noble Eagle (ONE) providing enhanced
security at military bases, and Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF), Iraq.
In the last week of September 2006, the House and Senate are slated to consider
the conference versions of the FY2007 defense appropriations bill, H.R. 5631, and
the national defense authorization bill (H.R. 6122/S. 2766), both of which include an
additional $70 billion for war costs. This $70 billion bridge fund is to cover war
costs in the first half of the fiscal year plus $23 billion for reset — to repair and
replace war-worn equipment. The Administration is expected to submit a FY2007
supplemental for additional war costs some time next year.
If the FY2007 defense appropriation bill passes, total war appropriations for all
three operations would reach about $507 billion. Another $2 billion is included in
other appropriations bills for foreign and diplomatic operations in Iraq and
Afghanistan and VA medical costs. In its July 2006 mid-session update, the Office
of Management and Budget (OMB) estimates that war funding in FY2007 will total
$110 billion, including bridge funding. Based on this OMB projection, cumulative
war funding for all of FY2007 would reach about $549 billion. OMB also assumes
a $50 billion bridge fund for FY2008.
DOD has not provided Congress with the individual costs of each operation.
Based on previous spending and a rough allocation of the FY2007 bridge fund, CRS
estimates that Iraq will receive about $379 billion (75%), OEF about $97 billion
(20%), and enhanced base security about $26 billion (5%), with about $4 billion (1%)
that CRS cannot allocate. Generally, about 91% of these funds are for DOD and
about 8% are for foreign aid programs and embassy operations, with 1% for medical
care for veterans and 1% are unallocated.
On a monthly basis, DOD spent an average of about $6.4 billion for OIF, $1.3
billion for OEF, and $180 million for enhanced base security in FY2005. During
FY2006, these monthly spending levels may increase to about $8.0 billion for OIF
and $1.5 billion for OEF, an overall increase of 20%.
Based on an alternate path that assumes a drawdown from about 258,000 troops
currently engaged in these operations to 74,000 in FY2010, the Congressional Budget
Office (CBO) estimates that war costs could total $371 billion between FY2007 and
FY2016. If that CBO estimate is added to funds already appropriated, total funding
for Iraq and the GWOT could reach $808 billion by 2016. DOD’s annual war
funding rose from about $73 billion in FY2004 to $102 billion in FY2005, $118
billion in FY2006, and is projected by OMB to drop to $110 billion in FY2007. This
report will be updated as warranted.

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Contents
Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
Key War Cost Questions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
Major Unknowns . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
War Funding in Total and By Operation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
War Appropriations: FY2001-FY2006 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
How DOD’s War Costs Evolve . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Estimates for Iraq and Afghanistan and Other Operations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Trends in Iraq . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Trends in Operation Enduring Freedom . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Trends in Enhanced Security . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Foreign Operations Funding . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Iraq . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Afghanistan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Training Security Forces . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
DOD Spending Thus Far . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Total Obligations to Date . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Monthly Average Costs for Iraq, OEF, and Enhanced Security . . . . . 16
Change Since FY2003 for Each Operation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Potential Oversight Issues for Congress . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Effects on DOD’s Regular Budget of Replacing Worn Equipment . . . . . . 17
CBO and Service Estimates of Reset Costs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
War-Related Procurement Issues . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
Potentially Controllable Support Costs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Military Personnel Policy Choices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Affecting Operational Costs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
Changes in Troop Levels for OIF and OEF Since 9/11 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
Changes in Overall Troop Levels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
Changes in OEF Troop Levels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
Changes in OIF Troop Levels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
Estimating Future Costs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
Average Annual Cost Per Troop . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
Illustrative Future Costs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
Oversight Options for War Cost Reporting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
Reporting Alternatives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
Appendix . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
List of Figures
Figure 1. Active-Duty and Reserve Shares of Forces Deployed for OIF &
OEF, FY2002-FY2005 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
Figure 2. Military Personnel Deployed for OIF and OEF, by Month,
September 2001-November 2005 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29

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List of Tables
Table 1. War-Related Funding, Total and By Operation:
FY2001/FY2002-FY2006 Supplemental . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Table 2. DOD War Budget Authority By Title: FY2003-FY2006
Supplemental . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Table 3. Budget Authority for Iraq, Afghanistan, and Other Global War
on Terror (GWOT) Operations: FY2001-FY2006 Supplemental . . . . . . . 11
Table 4. Foreign and Diplomatic Funds: FY2001-FY2006 Bridge . . . . . . . . . . 13
Table 5. DOD’s Obligations by Operation: FY2001-March 2006 . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Table 6. OIF and OEF War Obligations By Expense: FY2004-FY2005 . . . . . . . 22
Table 7. Average Annual Cost Per Deployed Troop by Operation:
FY2003-FY2005 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
Table A1. Defense Department, Foreign Operations Funding, and VA
Medical Funding for Iraq, Afghanistan and Other Global War on Terror,
and Enhanced Base Security, FY2001- FY2006 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35

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The Cost of Iraq, Afghanistan, and Other
Global War on Terror Operations Since 9/11
Introduction
Since the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, the United States has initiated
three military operations:
! Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) covering Afghanistan and other
Global War on Terror (GWOT) operations ranging from the
Philippines to Djibouti, that began immediately after the 9/11 attacks
and continues;
! Operation Noble Eagle (ONE) providing enhanced security for U.S.
military bases and other homeland security, that was launched in
response to the attacks; and
! Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF) that began in the fall of 2002 with
the build up of troops for the March 2003 invasion of Iraq and
continues with counter-insurgency and stability operations.
In the fifth year of operations since the 9/11 attacks, there is considerable
interest in Congress about the cost of each operation to date as well as the scope and
duration of future costs. In congressional hearings, the Department of Defense
(DOD) has typically provided estimates of the current or average monthly costs over
a period of time for military operations, referred to as the “burn rate.” While this
figure covers some of the costs of war, it excludes the cost of upgrading or replacing
military equipment and of improving or building facilities overseas, and it does not
cover all funds appropriated.
Beginning in 2004, Congress required the Defense Department to report on
April 1 and October 31 of each year the cumulative and most recent cost of OIF and
OEF. Although this reporting requirement was included in three separate statutes
(Sec. 1120, P.L. 108-106, Section 9010, P.L. 108-287, and Sec. 1024, P.L. 109-13),
DOD has not yet submitted the report. Two of these statutes also required that DOD
send Congress estimates of costs for the next 12 months and for the period, FY2006-
FY201l.
DOD has a financial system that tracks funds for each operation once they are
obligated — as pay or contractual costs — but has not yet submitted the semiannual
reports with cumulative and current obligations for OIF and OEF, or estimates for the
next year, or for the next five years that are required by statute.1
1 CRS contact with Pentagon official in May 2006. For war reporting requirements, see Sec.
(continued...)

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CRS-2
Key War Cost Questions

Because the Administration has not provided estimates, CRS used DOD’s
financial reports and other sources to estimate the total cost of OIF, OEF, and
enhanced security in order to address the following frequently asked questions:
! How much has Congress appropriated for each of the three missions
since the 9/11 attacks — Operation Iraqi Freedom (Iraq), Operation
Enduring Freedom (Afghanistan and other Global War on Terror
operations), and Operation Noble Eagle (enhanced security for
defense bases) for defense, foreign operations, and related VA
medical care?
! How much has DOD obligated on average per month for each of the
three missions each year?
! What do trends in costs tell us about likely spending levels in the
future?
Major Unknowns
This report also discusses several areas that Congress may wish to pursue
because information is limited and the cost effect is significant.
! What is the estimated cost to reset — repair and replace war-worn
equipment — and how might that funding affect DOD’s regular or
baseline budget?
! How are some types of war costs affected by policy and contracting
decisions as well as operational needs and troop levels?
! How have deployed troop levels changed since the 9/11 attacks and
how could Congress get accurate information on past and future
troop levels?
! What is the average cost per deployed troop for OIF and OEF, and
how might that cost affect future war costs?
! What are estimates of future war costs?
1 (...continued)
1120, P.L. 108-106, Section 9010, P.L. 108-287, and Sec. 1024, P.L. 109-13, which also
required an estimate of the “reasonably foreseeable costs for ongoing military operations ...
for the next 12 months.” Section 9012, P.L. 108-287 required an estimate for FY2006-
FY2011 or a written certification from the President that national security reasons made that
impossible; the Administration sent a letter from Director of OMB Joshua B. Bolten to
Speaker of the House J. Dennis Hastert on May 13, 2005, saying an estimate was not
possible but the President did not submit a national security waiver.

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CRS-3
! How might Congress improve current reporting of war costs to get
accurate and complete information to be used to assess current and
future requests?

Answers to these questions could help Congress compare war spending to other
spending, assess current requests, and project future costs.
War Funding in Total and By Operation
With passage of the FY2006 supplemental (H.R. 4939, H.Rept. 109-494,
P.L.109-234), war-related appropriations would total about $436.8 billion for OIF,
OEF, and enhanced security to the Department of Defense, the State Department, and
the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). This total includes the FY2006 bridge
fund (H.R. 2863/P.L. 109-148) and the FY2006 supplemental.2 The conference
version of the House and Senate authorization bills (H.R. 5122/S. 2766) and the
FY2007 DOD appropriations bills provide $70 billion in Title IX for war costs (H.R.
5631). If that $70 billion is enacted, war appropriations would total $507 billion to
cover war costs in the first half of FY2007 and $23 billion for reset — the repair and
replacement of war-worn equipment.
In its mid-session review, OMB estimated that DOD’s war costs would total
$110 billion (including a bridge fund). This would be a decrease from the $118
billion in FY2006. OMB also included a $50 billion bridge fund for FY2008.3
In testimony before the Subcommittee on National Security, Emerging Threats
and International Affairs, Government Reform Committee, on the accuracy and
reliability of cost estimates for the Global war on Terror, Administration witnesses
and congressional support agencies each presented estimates of total funding for the
Global War on Terrorism. Estimates ranged from a low of $416.6 billion for
Administration witnesses from the Defense and State Department to $433 billion for
CBO and $437 billion for CRS, a $20 billion discrepancy. Issues at the hearing
included the Administration’s failure to present long-term estimates required by law,
2 The range included in Table 1 reflects that it is not clear whether DOD spent $7.1 billion
designated for GWOT in its regular FY2003 appropriations on war costs, a conclusion
reached by both CRS and GAO (see “Oversight Options for War Reporting,” below). Totals
include funds appropriated in both regular and supplemental appropriation bills and $8.6
billion in DOD funds transferred from its baseline accounts for GWOT needs; these funds
were available primarily because scheduled troop training or equipment repair was
postponed since units were deployed, programs were executing slower than anticipated, or
GWOT needs were considered higher priority; CRS calculation of transfers from listings on
DOD website [http://www.defenselink.mil/comptroller/budgetexec.html].
3 Office of Management and Budget, FY2007 Mid-Session Review, p. 6 and p. 19; see
[http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/budget/fy2007/pdf/07msr.pdf].

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CRS-4
these differences in cost estimates, and problems with current budgeting methods and
the quality of cost estimates.4 It is not clear why these estimates differ.
War Appropriations: FY2001-FY2006
The total cost for all three operations — Iraq, Afghanistan, and other GWOT
and enhanced security — has risen steeply since the 9/11 attacks primarily because
of higher DOD spending in Iraq. Annual war appropriations more than doubled from
about $31 billion in FY2001/FY2002 to between $74 and $81 billion with the
preparation for and invasion of Iraq in FY2003.5 By FY2004, annual war funding
had trebled over the FY2002 level to $94 billion (see Table 1).
By FY2005, annual war-related appropriations increased to $107 billion. If the
FY2006 supplemental request is approved, annual funding will have risen from $31
billion in FY2001/2002 — dedicated primarily to U.S. operations in Afghanistan —
to $122 billion in FY2006 for the continuation of Iraq and Operation Enduring
Freedom and enhanced DOD security, a fourfold increase since the first year of
operations (see Table 1).
Table 1. War-Related Funding, Total and By Operation:
FY2001/FY2002-FY2006 Supplemental
(in billions of dollars of budget authority)
FY06 Total
FY01
including
Fiscal Year &
Cum.:
&
FY03
FY04b
FY05b
FY2006
Agency
FY01-FY06c
FY02
supp conf.
(H.R. 4939)c
70.3 to
393.9 to
Defense
30.8
77.4a
72.6
102.5
117.6
401.0ac
State/AID
0.6
3.8
21.7
4.8
4.2
35.1
Veterans Affairs
0
0
0
0
0.7
0.7
74.1 to
429.7 to
Budget Authority
31.4
81.2a
94.3
107.2
122.2
436.8ac
By Operation: Iraq, Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF), and Enhanced Securitye
Iraq
2.5d
51.0
77.3
87.3
100.4
318.5
OEF
18.1
17.0
15.1
18.1
19.9
88.2
Enhanced Security
12.0
6.5
3.7
2.1
1.9
26.2
Unable to Allocate
0
3.9ad
0
0
0
3.9
4 July 20, 2006 letter from Congressman Christopher Shays, Chair, Subcommittee on
National Security Emerging Threats, and International Affairs, to Chair, House and Senate
Armed Services Committees, Chair, House and Senate Appropriations Committees,
Majority Leader House, President of the Senate, July 20, 2006. The Hearing was held on
July 18, 2006.
5 The range is with and without about $7.1 billion in DOD funds that CRS and GAO could
not track.

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CRS-5
Notes and Sources: NA= Not Applicable. Numbers may not add due to rounding. Year-by-year totals
may not be consistent due to discrepancies and gaps in DOD data.
a. Range shows amounts with and without the $7.1B in DOD’s regular FY2003 appropriations (P.L.
107-48) that may or may have been spent for war and GWOT. CRS calculations based on public
laws and transferred funds listed in Table A1 in the appendix.
b. Of the $24.9 billion provided in Title IX of the FY2005 DOD appropriations bill, CRS included
$1.86B in FY2004 because it was obligated that year and the remaining $23 billion in FY2005.
Because Congress made the funds available in FY2004, they are formally scored by CBO and
OMB as FY2004 monies.
c. Includes funds through the FY2006 supplemental conference bill, H.R. 4939.
d. Amount shown in DOD table but source of funds unclear; funds were used for initial buildup of
troops before Iraq invasion.
e. For distribution of funds by agency, see Table 3.
The $437 billion in Table 1 for appropriations through the FY2006
Supplemental conference is divided as follows:
! $397 billion, or about 91%, for military operations and support, and
equipment and facilities for the Department of Defense;
! $35 billion, or about 8%, for reconstruction, embassy costs;
! $4 billion in DOD funds that cannot be allocated or about 1%; and
! $700 million, or less than 1%, for the VA for medical care for
veterans of these operations.
(For the distribution of funds by agency, see Table 3. For a detailed listing of war-
related appropriations by public law, see Table A1.)
The enacted version of FY2006 supplemental bill — H.R. 4939/P.L.109-234
— includes $69.0 billion for military operations, foreign aid programs, and embassy
operations for Iraq and Afghanistan and other GWOT — $2.2 billion below the
request. H.R. 4939 was passed by the House on June 13, 2006 and by the Senate on
June 15th and signed by the president the same day.

DOD’s funding covers the cost of special pays, military operations and support
of deployed personnel, repairing and buying equipment, building and improving
military facilities overseas, training Afghan and Iraqi security forces, and providing
enhanced security at DOD bases. The remainder was provided in regular defense bills
or in transfers from regular appropriations.6 All funds were either categorized as
emergency funding or were otherwise exempted from ceilings applying to
discretionary spending in Congress’s annual budget resolutions.7 Some members
have argued that continuing to fund ongoing operations in supplementals reduces
6 These funds were characterized as “additional appropriations,” and put in a separate title
of DOD’s regular appropriation bill. For discussion of using regular vs. supplemental
appropriations for war funding, see CRS Report RL32924, Defense: FY2006 Authorization
and Appropriations, by Stephen Daggett.
7 Title IX of P.L. 108-287 and P.L. 109-13, DOD’s regular FY2005 and FY2006
appropriations acts, included these bridge funds; the budget resolutions in FY2005 and
FY2006 exempted up to $50 billion in overseas contingency operations funds from budget
controls (see Section 403, H.Con.Res. 95 (FY2005) and Sec. 402, S.Con.Res. 95 (FY2006)).

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CRS-6
Congressional oversight and makes less apparent the likely effect of this spending on
the budget deficit.
Through the FY2006 supplemental, the State Department and USAID have
together would receive about $35 billion for Iraq and Afghanistan for reconstruction,
embassy operations and construction, and various foreign aid programs in regular and
supplemental appropriation acts.8
How DOD’s War Costs Evolve
What makes war costs change? Changes in war costs reflect a variety of factors
that result from the situation on the ground faced by U.S. troops, policy plans and
decisions, and external factors, such as the price of oil. Important war cost drivers
are:
! the number of troops deployed or anticipated to deploy;
! changes in the pace of operations or optempo;
! changes in the amount of equipment and number of personnel to be
transported to the theater of operations and the type and level of
various other support for troops;
! how quickly equipment breaks down and the extent and pace of
replacing and upgrading equipment; and
! military basing plans that underlie construction requests.
To see trends by types of DOD costs, Table 2 shows changes in the budget
authority (BA) provided by Congress since FY2003 by title ranging from military
personnel to construction. (CRS could not break out figures for FY2001/FY2002
appropriations by title because most of the funds were allocated and spent from the
Defense Emergency Response Fund rather than traditional appropriation accounts.)
Between FY2004 and FY2006, BA for Operations & Maintenance (O&M) is slated
to grow from $42.7 billion to $60.9 billion while procurement BA increases from
$7.2 billion to $22.9 billion.
Some of the reasons for higher operating costs are known. For example, higher
operating costs reflect:
! the purchase of more body armor for troops (using O&M funds);
! the jump in oil prices;
! the coming due of maintenance bills as equipment wears; and
! the inclusion of funds to train and equip Afghan and Iraq forces that
was previously carried in foreign operations accounts.
These factors, however, are not enough to explain a 50% increase of over $20 billion
in operating costs.
8 Funds for foreign operations activities are managed by both the State Department and
USAID, which handles most U.S. development assistance programs. Figures on these
programs were provided by CRS analyst, Larry Nowels.

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CRS-7
Since FY2004, the rise in investment costs has been dramatic — a more than
threefold increase since FY2003 with BA rising from $7.2 billion in FY2003 to $24.4
billion in FY2006. Including the FY2006 supplemental bill, DOD will have received
about $60 billion in war-related procurement funds since the 9/11 attacks (see Table
2).
The upsurge in war-related investment costs reflects:
! a push by both DOD and Congress to provide more force protection
equipment and increase situational awareness (e.g., uparmored High
Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicles (HMMWVs), radios,
sensors, night-vision goggles);
! a decision to temporarily fund equipment for new Army and Marine
Corps units, known as modularity or restructuring;
! the growing bill to rebuild or replace damaged equipment, a process
known as reset; and
! the building of more extensive infrastructure to support troops and
equipment in and around Iraq and Afghanistan.

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CRS-8
Table 2. DOD War Budget Authority By Title: FY2003-FY2006
Supplemental
(in billions of dollars)
FY2006 Cumul.
Bridge
Total
Title
FY2003a FY2004 FY2005
and
thru
Supp.
FY2006
Conf.a
a
Military Personnel
15.9
17.9
17.7b
16.5
68.0
Operation &
42.9 to
42.7
49.3
60.9 195.8 to
Maintenance/Health/Otherc
46.5
199.4
Afghan Sec. Forces Training
0.0
0.0
1.3
1.9
3.2
Iraq Security Forces Trainingd
0.0
[5.100]
5.7
3.0
8.7
Natural Resources Remediation Fund
0.8
0.0
0.0
0.0
0.8
(NRRF)e
Joint Improvised Explosive Device
0.0
0.0
0.0
2.0
2.0
Defeat Fundb
Working Capital Fund/National Sealift 0.8 to 1.1
1.6
2.1
3.0
7.5 to
Fundf
7.8
Procurement
7.7 to 9.5
7.2
20.9
22.9 58.7 to
60.5
Research, Dev., Testing & Evaluation 1.1 to 2.4
0.4
0.7
0.8
3.0 to
4.3
Military Construction
0.2 to 0.9
0.5
1.1
0.2
2.1 to
2.8
Iraqi Freedom Fund (IFF)g
[15.7]
2.0
3.8
4.6
10.3
Enhanced security in FY2006 base
NA
NA
NA
1.9
1.9
budget (estimate)
Total
70.1 to
72.3
102.5
117.7 360.7 to
77.2
367.8
Notes and Sources:
a. P.L.109-148 is FY2006 bridge fund and P.L.109-234 is FY2006 supplemental. Range for FY2003
shows funds from DOD FY2003 appropriations bill that may not have been tracked in DOD’s war
cost finance system. Cumulative total includes $7.1 billion. CRS allocated the $15.7 billion provided
in the Iraqi Freedom Fund, by title based on notifications to Congressional defense committees;
includes a $3.5 billion rescission enacted the following year. Includes funds provided in
supplemental and regular appropriations acts plus transfers of DOD funds from baseline funds to
GWOT after enactment; excludes the $30 billion appropriated in FY2001 and FY2002 primarily in
the Defense Emergency Response Fund (DERF) rather than regular accounts. Includes both FY2006
Title IX bridge funds and the FY2006 Supplemental request. Includes estimate of $1.9 billion in
DOD’s baseline budget for ONE, which was formerly funded in supplementals.
b. Congressional report language permitted DOD to use $2.1 billion of military personnel funds and
$802 million in O&M funds in the FY2005 supplemental funds to ‘restore’ funds transferred
from DOD’s baseline accounts earlier in the year (H.Rept. 109-72, p.100); CRS reduced
transfers to reflect restorals.
c. “Other” includes counterdrug and Office of Inspector General funds.
d. Funding for training that was provided to the State Department is shown in brackets, and not
included in DOD totals.
e. NRRF was set up in the FY2003 Supplemental (P.L. 108-11) to fund anticipated damage to Iraq’s
oil facilities.
f. Working capital funds finance unanticipated increases in support costs such as fuel.
g. In some years, Congress included national intelligence funds in the IFF, as well as smaller amounts,
which DOD could transfer to where it was needed.

---

CRS-9
These reasons are not sufficient, however, to explain the level of increases or
predict whether these procurement levels are temporary or likely to rise still further.
DOD has provided little information about overall requirements to replace worn
equipment or to upgrade capabilities, or how war requirements relate to ongoing
peacetime investment.
Estimates for Iraq and Afghanistan and Other Operations
How much has Congress provided for each of the three operations launched
since the 9/11 attacks — Iraq, Afghanistan and other GWOT, and enhanced security?
Using a variety of sources and methods, CRS estimated the distribution of war-
related funds appropriated for defense, foreign operations, and VA medical costs
from the 9/11 attacks through the FY2006 supplemental request (see Table 3).

The F2006 supplemental included $65.9 billion for DOD and $3.1 billion in
foreign and diplomatic operations funds for Iraq and Afghanistan, some $2.3 billion
below the request. (CRS did not include funds requested for Iran, Darfur, Pakistan
or Liberia.)
With passage of the FY2006 supplemental bill (H.R. 4939), CRS estimates that
the $437 billion in cumulative war-related appropriations would be split as follows
! $319 billion for Iraq (or 73%);
! $88 billion for Afghanistan (or 20%);
! $26 billion for enhanced security (6%); and
! $4 billion unallocated (1%) (see Table 3).
For additional information on the FY2006 supplemental request, see CRS
Report RL33298, FY2006 Supplemental Appropriations: Iraq and Other
International Activities; Additional Katrina Hurricane Relief, coordinated by Paul
M. Irwin and Larry Nowels.
Since the 9/11 attacks, DOD’s costs have shifted with sharp increases for Iraq
since the invasion in 2003, fairly stable costs for OEF in later years, and sharp
decreases for enhanced security. Foreign operations costs peak in FY2004 with the
$20 billion appropriated for Iraq reconstruction and decline thereafter to about $3
billion to $4 billion a year. This section discusses trends for each mission including
not only DOD costs but also foreign operations and VA medical costs (see Table 4).
Trends in Iraq. What is the total cost of the war in Iraq to date and how has
funding changed over time? CRS estimates that Iraq will receive appropriations
totaling about $318.5 billion in the FY2006 supplemental (P.L.109-234). From the
initial $2.5 billion tapped from previous appropriations to prepare for the invasion,
Iraq costs may rise to $100.4 billion in FY2006 to continue current military
operations, foreign aid programs, embassy support, and VA benefits.9
9 This initial funding generated controversy in 2004 because it appears that few in Congress
were aware that DOD used $2.5 billion from funding appropriated before the resolution
(continued...)

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CRS-10
In FY2003, the year of the invasion, funding for Iraq reached $51 billion and
rose by over 50% to almost $77 billion in FY2004 including almost $20 billion for
reconstruction. By the next year, funding for Iraq grew to $87 billion, reflecting a
$27 billion increase in DOD costs due to the continued intensity of U.S. military
operations in the face of insurgent attacks, a trebling of investment funds to upgrade
equipment and add force protection, plus $5.7 billion to train Iraqi forces.10 Increases
for DOD more than offset the steep drop in foreign operations funds from $19.5
billion to $2 billion. Including the FY2006 supplemental funds, the total for Iraq in
FY2006 may reach $100 billion, about 30 percent above the amount in FY2004, two
years earlier (see Table 3).
Trends in Operation Enduring Freedom. What is the total cost to date
for Afghanistan and other Global War on Terror Operations and how has that
changed over time? The cost for Afghanistan and other GWOT operations peaked
at $18 billion in the first full year of operations.11 Since then, OEF costs dropped to
$17 billion in FY2003 and $15 billion in FY2004.
In FY2005 and FY2006, costs are likely to rise to $18 billion to $20 billion per
year because of higher troop levels, the cost to train Afghan forces, and a portion of
the cost to equip new modular units.12
Trends in Enhanced Security. How has the cost of Operation Noble Eagle
or enhanced security for DOD bases changed since 9/11? Funding for enhanced
base security and other costs halved from the $12 billion available in the first year to
$6.5 billion in FY2003 as one-time costs like Pentagon reconstruction ($1.3 billion)
and some security upgrades were completed, and as DOD scaled back combat air
patrol (about $1.3 billion for around-the-clock coverage) and the number of reservists
guarding bases.13
9 (...continued)
authorizing the use of force was passed. A note in a DOD table listing monthly obligations
for Iraq from the FY2003 and FY2004 supplementals stated that an additional $2.5 billion
for Iraq was available from “prior year funds” (presumably P.L. 107-38, P.L. 107-117, or
P.L. 107-206, the previous two supplementals). CRS could not obtain details on this
spending.
10 Funds to train Iraqi security forces were funded in the State Department. For information
on military construction in and in support of Iraq and Afghanistan, see memo by Amy
Belasco, available from the author.
11 Funds appropriated at the end of FY2001 were mostly spent in FY2002.
12 DOD’s rationale for considering modularity a war cost is that the new units will reduce
stress on personnel; CRS therefore allocates those funds based on the relative shares of
military personnel for OIF and OEF.
13 For more information, see CRS Report RL31187, Combating Terrorism: 2001
Congressional Debate on Emergency Supplemental Allocations, by Amy Belasco and Larry
Nowels; and CRS Report RL31829, Supplemental Appropriations FY2003: Iraq Conflict,
Afghanistan, Global War on Terrorism, and Homeland Security, by Amy Belasco and Larry
Nowels.

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CRS-11
Table 3. Budget Authority for Iraq, Afghanistan, and Other
Global War on Terror (GWOT) Operations:
FY2001-FY2006 Supplemental
(CRS estimates in billions of budget authority)
Cum.
Total
FY06
w/
FY06 Total
FY06
By Operation and
FY01&
FY06
Supp
w/
Supp
Funding Source
FY02a FY02 FY03 FY04 FY05 Bridge Conf. Supp
Conf.
OPERATION IRAQI FREEDOM (OIF)
Department of
2.5b
0.0
48.0
57.7 85.1
41.9
54.9
96.8
290.1
Defense
Foreign Aid and
Diplomatic Opsc
0.0
0.0
3.0
19.5
2.0
0.1
3.0
3.2
27.6
VA medicald
0
0
0
0
0.2
0.4
0.0
0.4
0.7
Total: Iraq
2.5
0.0
51.0
77.3 87.3
42.5
57.9 100.4
318.5
OPERATION ENDURING FREEDOM(OEF)/Afghanistan and GWOT
Department of
8.8
8.4
16.3
12.9 15.4
7.9
11.0
18.9
80.7
Defense
Foreign Aid and
0.3
0.5
0.7
2.2
2.8
0.9
0.1
1.0
7.5
Diplomatic Opsc
VA Medicald
0
0
0
0
0
0.1
0.0
0.0
0.1
Total: OEF
9.1
9.0
17.0
15.1 18.1
8.9
11.1
19.9
88.3
Enhanced Security (Operation Noble Eagle)
Department of
7.0
5.0
6.5
3.7
2.1
1.9
0.0
1.9
26.2
Defense
Total: Enhanced
Securitye
7.0
5.0
6.5
3.7
2.1
1.9
0.0
1.9
26.2
ALL MISSIONS
Department of
18.3
13.4
70.8
74.3 102.5
51.7
65.9 117.6
396.9
Defense
Foreign
Operationsc
0.3
0.5
3.7
21.7
4.8
1.1
3.1
4.2
35.2
VA Medicald
0
0
0
0
0.2
0.5
0.0
0.5
0.7
Total: All Missions
18.6
14.0
74.5
96.1 107.5
53.2
69.0 122.3
432.8
Notes and Sources: Numbers may not add due to rounding. DOD has not provided a breakdown by
operation for its funding. CRS began with mission breaks in DOD’s Defense Finance Accounting
Service (DFAS) reports, “Supplemental & Cost of War Execution Reports,” through September 2005
and then allocated over $140 billion in unobligated or requested funds using DFAS shares by title in
FY2005, information in DOD’s request (e.g., security training), or other methods; see DOD’s
FY2005 Supp. Request, February 2005 and FY2006 Supplemental Request, February 2006; see
[http://www.dod.mil/comptroller/defbudget/fy2006/fy2005_supp.pdf]. The current CRS estimate is
higher than previous estimates because it includes the enacted version of the FY2006 bridge
supplemental, $1.5 billion in FY2005 DOD transfers, and the FY2006 bridge and FY2006
supplemental request. CRS splits the $25 billion provided in the FY2005 Title IX bridge between the
$1.8 billion obligated in FY2004 and the remainder available for FY2005; all those funds are scored
as FY2004 because they were available upon enactment in August 2005. Includes funds provided in
P.L. 107-38, the first emergency supplemental after 9/11, and funds allocated in P.L. 107-117, the
FY2002 DOD appropriations. Foreign operations figures were prepared with the help of CRS analyst
Larry Nowels from CRS Report RL31311, Appropriations for FY2003: Foreign Operations, Export
Financing, and Related Programs; CRS Report RL32311, Appropriations for FY2005: Foreign
Operations, Export Financing, and Related Programs, all by Larry Nowels and CRS Report
RL32919, Foreign Operations (House)/State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs (Senate):

---

CRS-12
FY2006 Appropriations by Larry Nowels and Susan Epstein and CRS Report RL33420, Foreign
Operations (House)/State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs (Senate): FY2007
Appropriations by Larry Nowels, Connie Veillette, and Susan Epstein; CRS Report RL31406,
Supplemental Appropriations for FY2002: Combating Terrorism and Other Issues; CRS Report
RL32783, FY2005 Supplemental Appropriations for Iraq and Afghanistan, Tsunami Relief, and Other
Activities, all by Amy Belasco and Larry Nowels. CRS built its appropriations estimates for OIF and
OEF from obligations data reported in DOD, Execution & Cost of War Execution Reports, September
2003, September 2004, September 2005, estimating unobligated funds from previous obligations, and
other methods and sources.
a. CRS combined funds for FY2001 and FY2002 because most were obligated in FY2002 after the
9/11 attacks at the end of FY2001.
b. Includes $2.5 billion obligated for Iraq using funds prior to FY2003 according to a DOD table.
c. Foreign operations figures include monies for reconstruction, development and humanitarian aid,
embassy operations, counter narcotics, initial training of the Afghan and Iraqi army, foreign
military sales credits, and Economic Support Funds.
d. VA estimates of funds for medical care for veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan.
e. Known as Operation Noble Eagle, these funds provide higher security at DOD bases, support
combat air patrol, and rebuilt the Pentagon.
In FY2004, the cost of enhanced security almost halved again, dropping to $3.7
billion. In FY2005, when funding for enhanced base security was included in DOD’s
regular rather than supplemental appropriations, the level dropped to about $2 billion
(See Table 3).
Foreign Operations Funding

Although DOD has received the bulk of funding for these operations since the
9/11 attacks, Iraq and Afghanistan have also received some $32.1 billion for foreign
aid and reconstruction programs as well as embassy construction and operations (see
Table 4). Of that total, 77% is for Iraq and 23% for Afghanistan.
Iraq. How much has been appropriated or requested for reconstruction,
training of security forces, and embassy operations for Iraq? In the case of Iraq,
about 60% of the $24.7 billion total is for reconstruction, about 13% for embassy
construction and operations, and about 20% to train Iraq security forces. In FY2005,
funds to train Iraqi and Afghan security forces were appropriated in DOD’s budget.
The FY2006 supplemental includes an additional $3.0 billion for Iraq — split
between mission operations and reconstruction/stabilization assistance. (DOD would
also receive includes an additional $3.0 billion to train Iraq’s security forces in
FY2006.) For more information, see CRS Report RL33298, FY2006 Supplemental
Appropriations: Iraq and Other International Activities; Additional Katrina
Hurricane Relief, coordinated by Paul M. Irwin and Larry Nowels; see also CRS
Report RL31833, Iraq: Recent Developments in Reconstruction Assistance, by Curt
Tarnoff.
Afghanistan. How much has been appropriated or requested for foreign aid,
security forces training, and embassy operations for Afghanistan? Of Afghanistan’s
$7.4 billion total for foreign and embassy operations funding to date, about 40% is
for reconstruction and 37% for other foreign aid programs, 17% to train Afghan
security forces (now funded in DOD) and 5% for embassy operations.

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CRS-13
The FY2006 supplemental includes an additional $97 million for Afghanistan
with about two-thirds for mission operations and one-third million for aid programs
and debt cancellation. (An additional $1.9 billion in DOD funds would be to train
Afghan security forces.)
Table 4. Foreign and Diplomatic Funds:
FY2001-FY2006 Bridge
(in billions of dollars and as percent of total)
Iraq
Afghanistan
Percent of
Activity
Funding
Percent of total
Funding
total
Reconstruction
$15.9
64%
$3.1
41%
Training Security Forces
$5.0
20%
$1.3
17%
New Embassiesa
$3.1
13%
$.3
5%
Foreign Aid programsb
$.6
2%
$2.8
37%
Total
$24.7
100%
$7.4
100%
Source: CRS reports summarizing public laws and Congressional reports.
Notes: Numbers may not add due to rounding. Includes funds appropriated in regular FY2006 bills
but not the pending FY2006 supplemental request.
a. Includes funding for the Coalition Provisional Authority.
b. Foreign aid programs include Economic Support Fund, counter narcotics, anti-terrorism, law
enforcement, disaster assistance, and other programs.
Training Security Forces. How much has been provided or requested to
train Afghan and Iraqi security forces? Because funding to train security forces was
shifted from the State Department to the Defense Department in FY2005, funds
appropriated to both agencies need to be counted to get a complete picture. Taking
all funds into account, funding dedicated to train and equip security forces is $10.7
billion to date for Iraq, with another $3.0 billion in the FY2006 supplemental
conference bill. That would bring the total to $13.7 billion.
According to GAO, funding to train and equip Afghanistan’s military and police
forces totals $4.1 billion thus far including $1.3 billion funded by DOD in FY2005.
(Some of these funds are not captured in Table 4 above.) The FY2006 supplemental
conference bill includes an additional $1.9 billion, which would bring the total to
$6.0 billion.14 Congress also permitted DOD to use a total of up to $500 million to
train either Iraq or Afghan security forces in the FY2006 bridge fund.15
14 See Table 1 in GAO-05-575, Afghanistan Security: Efforts to Establish Army and Police
Have Made Progress, but Future Plans Need to be Better Defined, June 2005;
[http://www.gao.gov/new.items/d05575.pdf]; see also CRS Report RL30588, Afghanistan:
Post-War Governance, Security, and U.S. Policy, by Kenneth Katzman.
15 See Section 9006,Title IX, P.L. 109-148.

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CRS-14
DOD Spending Thus Far
While tracking budget authority for each operation and all agencies gives the
most complete picture of costs, the measure most frequently cited by the Department
of Defense in hearings or in statements to the press is the monthly cost of “military
operations” or the “burn rate” either at a particular point in time or an average for
several months or a year. Most recently, for example, DOD Comptroller Tina Jonas
told reporters that the current average monthly “burn rate” for both Iraq and
Afghanistan and other GWOT is $6.8 billion.16
That figure covers the war-related costs of military personnel and operations and
maintenance, which might be characterized as the immediate costs of ongoing
military operations, but it excludes funds for military equipment; Research,
Development, Test & Evaluation (RDT&E); and military construction intended to
upgrade or replace equipment or facilities deemed necessary to conduct war
operations. In FY2006, the “burn rate”captures only about 70% of DOD’s request.17
To be more complete, CRS has developed estimates for average monthly
obligations that include both operations and investment costs (see Table 5). CRS
bases these estimates on reports issued by the Defense Finance and Accounting
Service (DFAS) that capture each fiscal year’s obligations — for pay and contractual
costs — but which are funded using appropriations from various fiscal years.
Because it takes time to negotiate contracts, produce, and deliver military goods,
or build military facilities, DOD’s procurement monies are available for three years,
RDT&E for two years, and military construction funds for five years. Thus,
procurement obligations in FY2005 may tap funds appropriated in FY2003, FY2004,
and FY2005. Although obligations figures have the advantage of coming closest to
answering the question “how much has been spent to date,” they have the
disadvantage of not capturing funds appropriated by Congress but not yet obligated.18
Because DOD does not track outlays — the amount spent rather than contracted for
— obligations are the closest measure of ongoing spending.
The budget authority figures in Table 1 and Table 3 may provide the most
complete answer to the question “What is the cost to date?” For monthly averages
based on these appropriations, budget authority can be divided by 12. (See, for
example, Table 6 in CRS Report RL33298, FY2006 Supplemental Appropriations:
Iraq and Other International Activities; Additional Katrina Hurricane Relief
coordinated, by Paul M. Irwin and Larry Nowels.)
16 Federal News Service, “White House Conference Call with Deputy Director of the Office
of Management and Budget Joel Kaplan and Undersecretary of Defense Comptroller Tina
Jonas,” Feb. 16, 2006.
17 For example, military personnel, O&M, and working capital funds account for $73.5
billion or 70% of the $105 billion for DOD in FY2005.
18 Obligations also do not reflect outlays or actual monies spent, which DOD does not track.

---

CRS-15
Table 5. DOD’s Obligations by Operation: FY2001-March 2006
(in billions of dollars)
Cum. DFAS
Average monthly obligationsa
Obligations,
FY2005:
FY2005
FY2002 thru
Mission and type
DFAS
Adjusted
FY2006
March
of spending
FY2003 FY2004 reported estimateb Estimateb
FY2006
Operation Iraqi Freedom
Operationsc
4.3
4.4
4.6
4.8
6.0
NA
Investmentd
0.1
0.6
1.5
1.6
1.9
NA
Total
4.4
5.0
6.1
6.4
8.0
219.4
Afghanistan and the Global War on Terrore
Operationsc
1.3
1.1
1.1
1.2
1.5
NA
Investmentd
0.0
0.0
0.0
0.1
0.0
NA
Total
1.3
1.1
1.1
1.3
1.5
58.3
Enhanced security and otherf
Operationsc
0.5
0.3
0.2
0.2
0.2
NA
Investmentd
0.0
0.0
0.0
0.0
0.0
NA
Total
0.5
0.3
0.2
0.2
0.2
24.5
All missions
Operationsc
6.1
5.8
5.9
6.2
7.7
NA
Investmentd
0.2
0.6
1.5
1.7
2.0
NA
Total
6.3
6.4
7.4
7.9
9.7
302.2
Note: NA = Not available. Numbers may not add due to rounding.
a. CRS calculations based on obligations during each fiscal year from all available funds as reported
by the Defense Finance Accounting Service plus CRS estimates for intelligence; updated for
FY2006 supplemental conference bill (H.R. 4939).
b. Adjusted CRS estimate for FY2005 includes other funding that DFAS did not capture: $1.8 billion
in military personnel, $1.6 billion obligated for Afghan and Iraq security Forces Training, and
about $4 billion in modularity funds. For FY2006, CRS estimated obligations assuming all
military personnel, O&M, and intelligence funds are obligated (since the funds are only
available for one year) and that investment funds for procurement, RDT&E, and military
construction obligate at rates experienced in FY2005.
c. Includes funds appropriated for military personnel, operation and maintenance, working capital,
and defense health.
d. Includes funds appropriated for procurement, RDT&E, and military construction.
e. Operation Enduring Freedom funds Afghanistan and other global war on terror (GWOT) activities.
f. ‘Enhanced security and other’ includes additional security at defense bases, combat air patrol around
U.S. cities, and reconstruction of the Pentagon after the 9/11 attacks.
The monthly averages for OIF and OEF in Table 5 are useful ways to mirror
current spending rates for FY2003, FY2004, FY2005, and FY2006, particularly
operational costs which are largely spent in the first year.19 For investment, however,
average monthly obligations tend to lag budget authority.
19 Operational costs also include working capital funds, defense health, and counterdrug
monies.

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CRS-16
Total Obligations to Date. What was DOD spending or obligating for each
operation in each year between FY2002 and March 2006 DOD obligated about $312
billion for all three missions including:
! $219 billion for Iraq;
! $68 billion for Afghanistan and other GWOT; and
! $25 billion for enhanced security (see Table 5).
Based on DFAS figures in Table 5, average monthly reported spending for all
three missions rose by about 17% from about $6.3 billion in FY2003 to about $7.4
billion in FY2005. Because DFAS obligations for FY2005 do not appear to have
captured about $7 billion in appropriated funds, CRS did an alternate estimate for
FY2005 including these monies. With these funds, CRS estimates that FY2005
obligations would be closer to $8 billion rather than $7.4 billion reported, almost
25% increase higher than the level two years earlier.

Including the FY2006 supplemental, average monthly obligations for all
operations may be about 50% higher compared to three years ago.20 Although some
of the increase in average monthly cost is attributable to rising operational costs, the
most dramatic increase is for investment costs in Iraq.
Monthly Average Costs for Iraq, OEF, and Enhanced Security. What
is the average monthly cost for each operation and how have these changed over
time? By FY2006, average monthly costs for Iraq may reach $8 billion per month,
over 80% higher than in FY2003, with about three-quarters dedicated to operational
costs and one-quarter to investment.
Average monthly obligations for Afghanistan and other GWOT operations
initially hovered around $1.1 billion in FY2004 and FY2005. That rate could rise to
$1.5 billion in FY2006 with the addition of funds to train Afghan security and police
forces and part of the funds to equip new Army and Marine Corps units.21
The monthly average for enhanced security (Operation Noble Eagle) has fallen
substantially from $520 million per month in FY2003 to an estimated $180 million
in FY2006 as one-time costs ended and could fall further.
Change Since FY2003 for Each Operation. In summary, based on CRS
estimates, monthly average costs — including both military operations and
investment spending — will change between FY2003 and FY2006 as follows:
! Iraq costs will grow by 80% from $4.4 billion to $8.0 billion;
! OEF costs will grow by 20% from $1.3 billion to $1.5 billion;
20 CRS calculated the average cost for Iraq in FY2003 assuming 10 months of operations
based on when forces began to deploy. For FY2006, CRS estimated how quickly funds
would obligate based on DFAS data for FY2005 and judgments. CRS did not include
FY2002 obligations because the data is unreliable and because Iraq costs were small.
21 Since forces are deployed for both OIF and OEF, CRS splits the costs based on the
roughly 75%, 25% split in DFAS obligations for military personnel.

---

CRS-17
! Enhanced security costs will fall by 70% from $500 million to below
$200 million;
! Overall Iraq and GWOT costs will grow by about 50% from $6.3
billion to $9.5 billion.
Potential Oversight Issues for Congress
Based on difficulties in capturing war costs by operation and recent cost trends,
there are several potential oversight issues that Congress may want to pursue:
! How might repairing and replacing war-worn equipment earlier than
anticipated affect DOD’s regular or baseline budget?
! Are some types of war costs more controllable because they are
affected by policy as well as operational needs?
! How have deployed troop levels changed for OIF and OEF since the
9/11 attacks and how might Congress get accurate information on
past and future levels?
! How could past trends be used to help predict war costs?
! How might Congress get better information on DOD war costs in
order to evaluate better its requests for additional funds?
Effects on DOD’s Regular Budget of Replacing Worn
Equipment

Recently, concern has grown among many in Congress, the Administration, and
DOD about the size of the bill to repair and replace equipment worn down by war
operations, that is, the “reset” issue. Reset is defined as the “process of bringing a
unit back to full readiness once it has been rotated out of a combat operation,” by
repairing and replacing equipment and resting and retraining troops.22 As equipment
is stressed by war operations, the cost to repair that equipment — also called
reconstitution or depot maintenance — is anticipated to grow. To the extent that
equipment cannot be repaired (the ‘washout’ rate), it may be replaced with the same
version or a rebuilt or upgraded version, sometimes referred to as “recapitalization.”
Much of this equipment may have been slated for repair or replacement at a later
date but because of the stress of war operations, it may need to be replaced now. To
the extent that war operations results in earlier repair and replacement of equipment,
DOD’s baseline budget may be able to be reduced.
There is an ongoing debate about the anticipated cost of reset for the Army and
Marine Corps, the services most heavily involved in OIF and OEF. The amount
needed for new equipment depends on not only how quickly equipment wears out or
22 Office of the Secretary of Defense, Report to Congress, Ground Force Equipment Repair,
Replacement, and Recapitalization Requirements Resulting from Sustained Combat Operations,
April 2005, p. 8; see also GAO-06-604T, Defense Logistics: Preliminary Observations on
Equipment Reset Challenges and Issues for the Army and Marine Corps, p. 3.

---

CRS-18
is damaged beyond repair but also DOD’s decisions about whether and how quickly
particular equipment needs be upgraded. The effect of this earlier replacement on
DOD’s baseline budget is also an open question that Congress may want to address.
Another factor in estimating future equipment needs is what equipment may
ultimately be left behind for Iraqi or Afghan forces when U.S. forces withdraw.
CBO and Service Estimates of Reset Costs. How large is the likely
reset bill and how might that affect DOD’s baseline budget? Last year, in March
2005, CBO estimated that the backlog of maintenance and replacement costs for war-
worn equipment was about $13 billion, about the same as the services’ estimates at
that time, and that annual repair and replacement costs would run about $8 billion a
year based on the current pace of operations.23 These CBO estimates, however, do
not reflect substantial procurement funding received by DOD in the FY2005
Supplemental, the FY2006 bridge fund, DOD’s baseline or regular budgets, or
requested in the FY2006 supplemental. The House Appropriations Committee, for
example, estimated that about $8 billion in the FY2006 bridge fund was for replacing
worn equipment.24
In its most recent alternative funding path for GWOT, CBO estimates that about
$60 billion would be needed through FY2016 assuming a gradual drawdown in
deployed forces from about 258,000 in FY2006 to a steady state of 73,000 in
FY2010. This estimate does not include the $24 billion in procurement funds
appropriated or requested in FY2006, much of which is probably for reset.25
Neither DOD nor other Administration sources have publicly endorsed reset
requirements for any of the services. The Army’s current position on the size and
scope of its reset requirement is unclear. In testimony in mid-February, 2006, Army
Chief of Staff Schoomaker and Army Secretary Harvey cautioned against accepting
a recent $36 billion in-house estimate for reset, the Army Equipment Plan, that is
predicated on a drawdown of forces between FY2006 and FY2008. This estimate
includes $13.5 billion in FY2006 from both supplemental and baseline funds with
additional funds in later years.26
In late March, Army Lt. General Melcher testified that the Army had submitted
a $13.5 billion reset requirement to OMB for FY2006 for repair and recapitalization
including:
23 CBO Testimony by Douglas Holtz-Eakin, Director, “The Potential Costs Resulting from
Increased Usage of Military Equipment in Ongoing Operations,” before the Subcommittee
on Readiness, House Armed Services Committee Apr. 6, 2005, p. 2
24 House Appropriations Committee, Press release, “Conferees Approve Defense-Disaster
Assistance-Avian Flu Preparedness Package,” Dec. 18, 2005.
25 CBO, An Alternative Budget Path Assuming a Reduction in Spending for Military
Operations in Iraq and Afghanistan and in support of the Global War on Terrorism, Feb.
24, 2006; contact with CBO staff.
26 Inside the Army, “Schoomaker: Reset, Recap Likely to Exceed $36 billion Over five
Years,” February 20, 2006; Defense Daily, “Marine Corps Needs $12 Billion For Reset,”
Hagee Says,” Feb. 16, 2006; Testimony of General Schoomaker before the Senate Armed
Services Committee, Hearing on FY2007 Defense Authorization, Feb. 14, 2006.

---

CRS-19
! $1.5 billion for battle losses;
! $5.2 billion for equipment repair;
! $5.2 billion for equipment recapitalization; and
! $1.6 billion to repair and replace prepositioned equipment.
Lt. General Melcher also estimated that an additional $12 billion to $13 billion
per year would be needed “through the period of conflict and for two years beyond.”27
These requirements do not include the cost of leaving equipment behind which
General Melcher said was a “subject of great debate right now between the
CENTCOM [Central Command] staff and the Third Army and the department.”28
The Marine Corps recently estimated that it would need $11.7 billion to reset
all its equipment including $5.1 billion received or requested in FY2006.29 In
FY2006, the Marine Corps’ reset requirement is more than three times its regular
procurement budget of $1.3 billion.30
It is not clear whether these estimates take into account the $60 billion in
procurement funds already received or requested in war appropriations or current and
future requests in the baseline budgets of the services (see Table 2). To the extent
the services repair or replace equipment sooner than planned because of the effects
of war operations, DOD’s current and future baseline budgets may be able to be
reduced.
War-Related Procurement Issues. To evaluate the overall reset
requirement, Congress may want to ask the Administration:

! What are current reset estimates and the underlying assumptions
about force levels, the pace of operations, and how quickly
equipment needs to be replaced?
! How much of the overall requirement has been met by previous
appropriations and current requests?
! How does war-related maintenance and procurement funding affect
the baseline budget?
27 Statement by Lt. General David F. Melcher, Deputy Chief of Staff, G-8, U.S. Army,
before the House Armed Services Subcommittee on Readiness and Tactical Airland Forces,
“On Army Equipment Reset,” Mar. 30, 2006, p. 5 and 8; Lt. General James J. Lovelace,
Deputy Chief of Staff, G-3/5/7, U.S. Army before the Senate Armed Services Committee,
Subcommittee on Readiness and Management Support, “On Army Readiness and Soldier
Support,” Mar. 15, 2006, p. 7.
28 General Melcher in transcript, House Armed Services Subcommittee on Readiness and
Tactical Airland Forces, “On Army Equipment Reset,” Mar. 30, 2006.
29 Defense Daily, “Marine Corps Needs $12 billion for Reset, Hagee Says,” February 16,
2006; see also, testimony of Lt. General Gardner before the House Armed Services
Committee Subcommittees on Readiness and Tactical and Land Forces, “Repair of Army
and Marine Corps Damaged Equipment,” Mar. 30, 2006.
30 Statement of Lt. General Jan Huly and Lt. General John F. Sattler before the
Subcommittee on Military Readiness of the Senate Armed Services Committee, “Readiness
and Resetting the Force,” Mar. 15, 2006, p. 19.

---

CRS-20
The same questions could be asked about DOD’s past and future plans for war-
related procurement for force protection, upgraded capabilities, and equipment for
new modular Army units and restructured Marine Corps units. DOD has provided
little or frequently changing estimates of war-related procurement requirements (such
as for uparmored High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicles (HMMWVs),
making it problematic to assess requests. In some cases, like HMMWVs and other
force protection gear, requirements have changed in response to operational
experience in ways that were not anticipated in DOD’s baseline budget.
In other cases, however, the distinction between what is war-related and what
instead is part of DOD’s ongoing transformation or modernization is less clear. For
example, DOD decided to fund the first two years of the Army’s modularity and the
Marine Corps’ restructuring requirements in supplementals in FY2005 and FY2006
and then fund future years in its baseline budgets. The rationale for that decision was
that these costs should be considered war-related because the additional units created
would ease the stress on troops, a conclusion questioned by two studies by CBO and
the RAND corporation because few of the units created would deploy for OIF or
OEF.31 Because funding for modularity was provided in supplementals for two years,
monies were freed up in the Army’s baseline budget for other procurement items in
FY2005 and FY2006.
To some extent, these war-related requirements for recapitalization, modularity,
force protection, and upgrades may overlap with each other and with the baseline
budget since all involve the purchase of new equipment to improve capability. Since
DOD is constantly modernizing, some of the funding for these requirements may
have been included in estimates for the later years of DOD’s baseline budget.
Thus, because DOD has received substantial war-related procurement funding
since FY2003, some of these anticipated requirements may already have been met.
As long as funding levels remain roughly the same, the services may simply have
substituted other less urgent requirements. On the other hand, estimates of the cost
of DOD’s new weapon systems tend to rise — as has been the case with modularity
for example — placing pressure on future budgets. To the extent that war leads to
funding more urgent requirements sooner, Congress may be able to adjust the
baseline budget.
Moreover, although DOD is supposed to carry only war-related incremental
costs in its supplementals, it is often difficult to unravel how much fits appropriately
in the baseline and how much in supplemental funding. Since war funding is not
subject to budget resolution constraints, it is in the interest of both DOD and defense
advocates in Congress to maximize the costs covered in war appropriations. With
the frequent shifts in requirements and the possible conflation of war and baseline
requirements, it may be difficult for Congress to gauge whether the amounts
requested by DOD are too high, too low, or about right.
31 CBO, An Analysis of the Military’s Ability to Sustain an Occupation in Iraq: an Update, October
5, 2005; [http://www.cbo.gov/ftpdocs/66xx/doc6682/10-05-05-IraqLetter.pdf]; RAND, Stretched
Thin: Army Forces for Sustained Operations, 7-15-05; [http://www.rand.org/pubs/monographs
/2005/RAND_MG362.pdf].

---

CRS-21
Potentially Controllable Support Costs
Although it is often assumed that all war-related operational costs reflect on-
the-ground requirements of commanders and hence cannot and should not be
adjusted, recent cost trends suggest that some war-related support costs reflect a
mixture of operational needs and policy and contracting choices. Table 6 shows the
FY2004 and FY2005 costs for OIF and OEF by expense categories used by DOD to
track past costs and estimate future costs.32 DFAS categories range from “optempo”
— the cost of fuel and replacing parts after operations — to facilities/base support,
covering housing and support services for deployed troops. As a benchmark, Table
6 also shows estimated average troop levels for OIF and OEF.33
Costs that are largely determined by either commanders on the ground or
external factors include:
! operating tempo or optempo for short — the cost of fuel and
replacement parts for equipment used in operations, which largely
reflects the intensity of operations and the price of fuel;
! most equipment maintenance requirements which reflect repairs
needed after operations; and.
! special pays for soldiers, such as imminent danger pay and family
separation allowances, set by statute.
Even where costs are largely uncontrollable, Congress may wish to ask DOD
to explain changes in costs and the assumptions underlying its requests in order to
assess current requests, predict future costs, and look at any effects on DOD’s
baseline budget. For example, the rise in optempo costs between FY2004 and
FY2005 from $6.1 billion to $7.0 billion for OIF and from $900 million to $1.6
billion for OEF may reflect a combination of more troops, higher fuel costs, and a
more intense pace (see Table 6). To better understand this type of change, Congress
may want to ask:
! What is the impact on costs of higher fuel prices?
! Are optempo costs rising due to more intensive operations
(measured in miles per vehicle), more troops or other factors?
! Has the baseline budget been reduced to reflect training that cannot
be conducted or equipment cannot be repaired because troops are
deployed?
32 These categories appear in both DOD, Execution & Cost of War Execution Reports, which track
obligations by month, year, and appropriation, and in DOD’s Contingency Operations Support Tool
(COST) model that was developed in the mid-1990s to track the cost of contingencies and is now used
to estimate some OIF and OEF costs.
33 CRS estimated average personnel levels from DFAS funding for hostile fire or imminent danger
pay. Since each troop is entitled to $225 per month in hostile fire pay, total funding can be divided
by 12 to get a monthly level and that figure can be divided by $225 to get average troop levels.

---

CRS-22
Table 6. OIF and OEF War Obligations By Expense:
FY2004-FY2005
(in thousands of troops, billions of dollars, or percent of total)
Operation Iraqi
Operation Enduring
Freedom
Freedom
Defense Finance Accounting
Percent
Percent
Service Categorya
FY04 FY05 Change
FY04
FY05
Change
FY05/04
FY05/04
Avg. No. Military Personnel b 206,000202,000
-2%
33,000 50,000
51%
Military Personnel Costs
12.2
11.5
-6%
2.8
3.4
23%
Special Paysc 3.3
2.6
-23%
1.9
0.9
-51%
Activating Reservists
6.9
6.1
-12%
0.7
1.8
170%
Subsistence
2.0
1.2
-38%
0.2
0.4
67%
e
Active Component Overstrgthd
0.0
1.6
e
0.0
0.3
Operation & Maintenance
37.4
41.9
12%
6.9
6.8
-1%
OPTEMPO and Training
6.1
7.0
16%
0.9
1.6
72%
Reconstitution/Equipment
4.6
4.9
7%
0.2
0.2
17%
Maintenancef
Transportation
5.1
5.9
15%
1.0
0.9
-5%
Facilities/Base Support
8.0
8.0
0%
0.9
0.8
-8%
Other Supplies & Equipment
4.4
5.3
20%
0.8
0.9
11%
Other Services/Misc.
4.6
5.1
12%
2.0
1.2
-42%
Contracts
Comm., Control, Comm,
0.8
1.1
40%
0.5
0.5
5%
Computers & Intelligence
Civilian personnel
0.2
0.3
65%
0.1
0.1
-1%
Personnel Support
3.7
4.3
16%
0.5
0.6
15%
Investment
2.5
17.5
592%
0.2
0.4
106%
Procurement
2.4
16.1
565%
0.2
0.4
112%
RDT&E
0.0
0.1
788%
0.0
0.0
63%
Military Construction
0.1
1.2
1266%
0.0
0.0
0%
TOTAL
52.1
70.9
36%
9.8
10.6
8%
Notes and Sources:
a. Includes all obligations for pay and contracts in the fiscal year, drawing on budget authority
from various years.
b. Average personnel levels calculated by CRS from DFAS funding for hostile fire or imminent
danger pay; since each troop is entitled to $225 per month in hostile fire pay, total funding
can be divided by 12 to get a monthly level and that figure can be divided by $225 to get
average troop levels. Rounded to thousands.
c. Special pays include hostile fire pay, family separation allowance, foreign duty pay and other
special pays.
d. Covers costs of military personnel above authorized strength levels.
e. Includes unit, intermediate, and depot maintenance.
Similarly, for equipment maintenance — expected to rise by 40% from $5.1
billion in FY2005 to $7.3 billion in FY2006 — Congress may want to know the full
scope of the anticipated requirement and whether the services can reduce their regular
repair budgets because war-worn equipment is being repaired sooner than

---

CRS-23
anticipated.34 Many Army systems, such as the 37,000 light trucks in theater, are
being operated at far higher rates than peacetime — about 6,000 miles a year for a
truck in Iraq, though that is not a high rate by civilian standards.35 The House
Appropriations Committee requires DOD to submit a study on past and future
maintenance requirements and funding by May 1, 2006 in its recent report on the
FY2006 Supplemental.36
Other costs may reflect a mixture of operational requirements and policy
choices. For example, while the number of military personnel deployed may reflect
the recommendations of commanders on the ground, the mix of active-duty vs.
reservists reflects a personnel policy decision. The cost of base support reflects not
only the level of facilities and support services provided to troops but also the skill
of government negotiators and the extent to which support contracts are competed.
Military Personnel Policy Choices. Changes in war costs for military
personnel cannot be explained solely by changes in the average number of deployed
troops. Between FY20004 and FY2005, OIF average deployed troop levels declined
by 2% from 206,000 to 202,000 while military personnel costs, declined by 6%,
three times as much. For OEF, troop levels increased by over 50% from 33,000 to
50,000 while costs rose by 23%, or half as much.
These differences appear to reflect the effects of policy choices about how much
to rely on active-duty vs. reserves, how many active-duty forces above standard
authorized levels (known as overstrength) are recruited and retained, as well as the
effects of contracting decisions about feeding troops.

Extent of Reliance on Reservists. How has DOD’s reliance on reservists
changed in the past four years and how might that affect costs? While overall troop
levels are expected to reflect the recommendations of commanders, the mix of active-
duty and reserve forces may reflect decisions about how to distribute the burden of
deployments among active and reserve units with the requisite skills, essentially, a
policy choice. Between FY2002 and FY2005, DOD’s reliance on reservists for OIF
and OEF grew from 17% to 36% in FY2005 (see Figure 1). In FY2006, DOD has
stated that it is reducing its reliance on reservists for OIF and OEF so those shares
may fall in the future.
34 DOD, FY 2006 Supplemental Request For Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF) and Operation
Enduring Freedom (OEF), Feb. 2006, p. 10; hereinafter, DOD, FY2006 Supp Request.
35 Office of the Secretary of Defense, Report to Congress, Ground Force Equipment Repair,
Replacement, and Recapitalization Requirements Resulting from Sustained Combat
Operations, April 2005, p. 2-4; see also, CBO, Estimates of cost implications of war-related
stress on equipment; [http://www.cbo.gov/ftpdocs/62xx/doc6235/04-06-WornEquip.pdf].
36 See H.Rept. 109-388, p. 14.

---

CRS-24
Figure 1. Active-Duty and Reserve Shares of Forces Deployed for
OIF & OEF, FY2002-FY2005
100%
17%
22%
90%
30%
36%
80%
70%

60%
es
50%
ar
83%
78%
h
40%
70%
64%
e S
30%
g
a
20%
er
v
10%
A
0%
FY02
FY03
FY04
FY05
Fiscal Years
Active
Reserve
Notes and Sources: CRS calculations based on Defense Manpower Data Center, Contingency
Tracking System, Deployed Military Personnel by Country, November 2005 run.
Between FY2004 and FY2005, DOD also apparently decided to rely less on
reservists for OIF — where costs dropped from $6.9 billion to $6.1 billion — and
to rely more on reservists for OEF — where costs rose from $700 million to $1.8
billion (see Table 6). In terms of incremental war costs (above peacetime levels),
activating reservists is more expensive than using active-duty forces because DOD
pays not only special pays for combat but also full-time rather than part-time salaries.
For active-duty troops, the only additional war-related costs are special pays.
According to DOD, troop levels are expected to remain the same in FY2006 as
in FY2005.37 To assess current requests and predict future costs, Congress may want
to ask the following questions about troop levels and military personnel costs:
! What are past, current, and planned average troop levels?
! What are DOD’s plans and rationales for the extent to which they
plan to rely on reserves overall and for OIF vs. OEF?
! To what extent does DOD plan to exceed authorized strength levels
to meet its wartime needs and for how long?
! Why are military personnel costs for OEF rising steeply?
Subsistence Costs. Surprisingly, the cost of feeding troops — known as
subsistence — fell sharply from $2 billion to $1.2 billion for OIF despite almost
identical troop levels (see Table 6). Subsistence costs for OIF have been volatile —
with the annual cost per troop rising from $4,900 in FY2003 to $9,500 in FY2004
and then falling to $6,000 in FY2005. The decline in FY2005 may reflect successful
37 DOD, FY2006 Supp Request, p. 3;
[http://www.dod.mil/comptroller/defbudget/fy2007/FY06_GWOT_Supplemental_Request_-
_FINAL.pdf]

---

CRS-25
efforts by Army logisticians — responsible for feeding all soldiers — to reduce costs.
Between FY2003 and FY2005, the daily cost went from $13 to $26 to $17.38
In the OEF theater, the Army appears to have been less successful and the costs
are higher. Although the annual OEF cost to feed a troop halved between FY2003
and FY2004 from $12,000 to $6,500 a year, it rose to $7,100 in FY2005. The daily
rate went from $33 to $18 to $20 between FY2003 and FY2005.39 The rate in
FY2005 may also be affected by the activities and locations of the additional 17,000
troops deployed for OEF — whether they are in remote areas or at base camps — as
much as by contract negotiations.
Congress may want to ask what cost control efforts are underway and how is
that expected to reduce military personnel costs. In a report last year, GAO
recommended that DOD capitalize on the cost control efforts of some individual
theater commanders by setting overall guidelines, a recommendation that DOD
rejected.40
Affecting Operational Costs. With the exception of optempo costs —
which are primarily driven by operational conditions and fuel costs — other
operational costs also may be significantly affected by policy and contracting
decisions.
Transportation Costs. How are transportation costs affected by operational
vs planning and policy choices? Although the cost of transportation reflects some
uncontrollable factors such as the amount of equipment and supplies to be shipped, the
price of fuel, and security requirements in theater, it also reflects DOD’s ability to plan
in advance so as to maximize its use of less expensive but slower sea lift rather than
more expensive but quicker airlift. Between FY2004 and FY2005, transportation costs
increased by 15% or from $5.1 billion to $5.9 billion for OIF and decreased by 5% or
from $1 billion to $900 million for OEF for reasons that are not clear.
To clarify DOD’s policy and planning decisions, the following questions could
be asked:
! How have the amount of equipment and supplies changed and what
is projected (generally measured in ton miles)?
! How much of goods and supplies are shipped by air and how much
by sea?
! Given the duration of operations, has DOD increased its reliance on
cheaper sealift, a DOD goal, and if not, why not?
Base Support Costs. How have base support costs changed and what does
that suggest about ways to control costs? Between FY2003 and FY2004, the cost
38 CRS calculations based on figures in Table 6.
39 CRS calculations based on figures in Table 6 and DFAS obligations for FY2003.
40 GAO-05-882, Global War on Terrorism: DOD Needs to Improve the Reliability of Cost Data
and Provide Additional Guidance to Control Costs, Sept. 2005, p. 6-7 and p. 33ff.

---

CRS-26
of base support for OIF more than trebled from $2.5 billion to $8 billion a year or
from about $16,000 to $39,000 per troop possibly because the Army and Marine
Corps established more extensive facilities and support in the second year of
operations (e.g., moving from tents to barracks). In FY2005, base support remained
level for OIF at $8 billion or about $40,000 per troop per year.
Between those two years, OEF costs increased from $700 million to $880
million or from $20,000 to $27,000 per person per year. In FY2005, the total cost
remained about the same but the per capita cost fell by 40% to $16,000 because of
the jump in troop levels. Base support costs for OEF are generally much lower than
for OIF. Although some of these differences may reflect different conditions, the
changes over time suggest that efforts to cost control efforts could have an impact.
Other Support Costs. There is little way to assess the $10.4 billion for OIF
and the $2.1 billion spent for OEF for “Other supplies & Equipment” and “Other
Services/Miscellaneous Contracts” because it’s unclear what drives the costs (see
Table 6). In 2004, GAO recommended that DOD reduce the amount of funding
carried in these categories for that reason.41
Changes in Troop Levels for OIF and OEF Since 9/11
The Defense Department has provided little systematic information publicly
about how and why war costs are rising including the key variable of the number of
deployed troops. In testimony and in press conferences, Defense Department
witnesses typically say that there are 138,000 troops deployed in Iraq and 18,000 in
Afghanistan.42
These figures, however, include only troops in those two countries — not all
troops deployed for Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom
which includes not only Afghanistan but other counter-terrorism operations. The
cost of paying, supporting, and equipping these troops is funded in DOD’s war costs.
DOD’s Contingency Tracking System (CTS), a data base compiled to track
military personnel who are deployed for OIF and OEF, may capture troop levels
more accurately. That data base shows that about 300,000 troops were deployed for
41 GAO-04-915, Military Operations: Fiscal Year 2004 Costs for the Global War on
Terrorism Will Exceed Supplemental, Requiring DOD to Shift Funds from Other Uses, July
2004, p. 4, 19, 21.
42 Secretary of Defense Rumsfeld before Senate Appropriations Committee, May 12, 2004
and before Senate Armed Services Committee on Sept. 23, 2004, and before Senate Armed
Services Committee, Feb. 7, 2006; Deputy Secretary of Defense Wolfowitz before the
House Armed Services Committee, June 22, 2004. For Afghanistan troop levels, see DOD
News Transcript, Secretary Rumsfeld Remarks at Townhall Meeting, MacDill Air Force
Base, Oct. 11, 2005; DOD News Release, “Operation Enduring Freedom Rotation
Adjustment Announced,” Dec. 20, 2005.

---

CRS-27
these missions in FY2005. This total of about 300,000 may include some 30,000
troops who were deployed at bases in the region before the 9/11 attacks.43
In earlier war cost estimates, CBO assumes about 240,000 troops deployed for
OIF and OEF in FY2005 — about 60,000 lower than CTS figures.44 CBO’s figures
may exclude the 30,000 troops deployed in the region before the initiation of OEF.
CBO does not separately break out troops for OIF and OEF.
Of the 300,000 shown in the CTS data base, about 240,000 are deployed for OIF
and about 40,000 for OEF, including about half in Afghanistan and half elsewhere
in the region or deployed in other counter terrorism operations such as the Philippines
(Other GWOT).45 Another 30,000 are in unknown locations including about 15,000
to 20,000 on Navy ships in the region (see Figure 2).46 A recent House
Appropriations Committee report, based on data from the services, says that there are
currently some 228,000 troops deployed, including about 190,000 for OIF and 38,000
for OEF, somewhat lower than the CTS or CBO figures.47
Congress may want to require more accurate information about annual past and
future military personnel levels for each mission in order to assess funding requests.
Changes in Overall Troop Levels. How many troops were in the region
before September 11, 2001? Because DOD’s CTS includes monthly troop levels, it
can show the rise and fall of troop levels over time (see Figure 2). As of September
2001, about 60,000 troops were deployed including:
! 15,200 for OEF including 200 in Afghanistan and 15,000 in other
neighboring countries like Saudi Arabia and Bahrain or other
counter terrorism operations;
! 4,500 in Kuwait, a U.S. headquarters operation which became a
staging area for OIF; and
43 Table entitled “Total Military, Civilian and Dependent Strengths by regional Area and By
Country, September 30, 2001,” in Department of Defense, Worldwide Manpower
Distribution by Geographical Area, Sept. 30, 2001, shows 27,000 military personnel for
North Africa, Near East, and South Asia.
44 CBO also shows about 60,000 reservists activated to ‘backfill’ or perform the duties of
deployed active-duty forces or provide enhanced security at U.S. bases. See CBO, “Estimate
of War Spending, FY2005-FY2015,” Feb. 1, 2005; [http://www.cbo.gov/ftpdocs/60xx
/doc6067/02-01-WarSpending.pdf].
45 CRS used DOD’s definition of OEF as Afghanistan and other Global War on Terrorism
(GWOT) operations to calculate these figures from CTS which lists personnel by country.
46 CRS calculations from Department of Defense, Defense Manpower Data Center,
Contingency Tracking System, Military Personnel Deployed in Support of the Global War
on Terrorism, by country, November 2005 run. For OIF, CRS includes military personnel
in Iraq and Kuwait because Kuwait is the headquarters and a staging area for OIF.
47 See H.Rept. 109-388, p. 6. The House report estimate is as of February 2006, the CBO and
CTS estimates are averages for FY2005, which may explain some but not most of the
differences among the estimates.

---

CRS-28
! 40,000 in unknown locations including about 20,000 Navy personnel
in ships in the area.
About half of these troops may have been deployed at bases in the region before the
9/11 attacks.48
Overall deployed troop levels for OIF and OEF peaked in May 2003 at about
410,000. In the next five months, overall troop levels dropped rapidly to 240,000.
Until December 2004, troop levels remained about that level. Since then, however,
total troops deployed for both missions increased to about 300,000 in January 2005
and have continued to grow to about 340,000 by November 2005.
Changes in OEF Troop Levels. OEF troop levels doubled from about
15,000 in September 2001 to 35,000 by March 2002 with the number in Afghanistan
itself growing from 800 to 4,400 and about 30,000 in other GWOT operations. From
March 2002 to March 2003, the number of troops for OEF almost doubled to 63,000
including an increase in Afghanistan from 4,000 to 16,000 while other GWOT grew
from 30,000 and 46,000 (see Figure 2).
By March 2004, OEF levels had fallen to about 37,000 including 15,000 in
Afghanistan and 23,000 in Other GWOT. In the next year, OEF troop levels
gradually increased to about 43,000 in March 2005, then edging up to about 50,000
by August 2005 where it remained as of November 2005. During 2005, OEF troop
levels hovered close to 50,000 with about half in Afghanistan and the other half in
other GWOT.
Changes in OIF Troop Levels. How did troop levels change between May
2003 and November 2005? By December 2002, the buildup for the Iraq invasion
had begun with increases in OIF to 10,000 plus a buildup in the number of
“unknown” from about 40,000 — the pre-buildup level — to 50,000, some of whom
may have been destined for Iraq. By the March invasion of Iraq, OIF troop levels
reached 155,000 for OIF or possibly over 200,000 if some of the 105,000 troops
shown as “Unknown” were for Iraq. (If the number of troops in unknown locations
is assumed to continue to be about 40,000, the pre-buildup level, then some 60,000
may have been destined for Iraq.)
In May 2003, OIF troop levels peaked at between 240,000 and 300,000 (the
higher number assumes all but 40,000 in unknown locations were for OIF). In the
five months after the invasion, troop levels for OIF dropped from about 300,000 to
170,000. “Unknown” troop levels returned to about 40,000, the pre-OIF buildup
level.
Except for an uptick in February/March 2004 for the Iraqi elections, troop levels
for OIF remained at about 170,000 levels for FY2004. In November 2004, OIF troop
48 Table entitled “Total Military, Civilian and Dependent Strengths by Regional Area and
By Country (309), Sept. 30, 2001, in Department of Defense, Worldwide Manpower
Distribution by Geographical Area, Sept. 30, 2001, shows 27,000 military personnel for
North Africa, Near East, and South Asia.

---

CRS-29
levels began to rise, reaching 260,000 in September 2005. About 30,000 troops were
in unknown locations in FY2004 and FY2005.49
Congress may want to get actual and planned monthly or quarterly deployed
troop levels for each operation in order to get a better understanding of DOD’s
experiences and plans.
Figure 2. Military Personnel Deployed for OIF and OEF, by Month,
September 2001-November 2005
OIF*
Notes and Sources *OEF = troops deployed for Operation Enduring Freedom or Afghanistan and
Other Global War on Terror operations; OIF = troops deployed in Iraq and Kuwait for Operation Iraqi
Freedom; Other GWOT = Other Global War on Terror operations including all locations other than
Iraq, Afghanistan, and Unknown in data base. **Unknown = country location not identified, includes
15,000 to 20,000 Navy personnel on ships in the region. Figure constructed by CRS from data in
Defense Manpower Data Center, Contingency Tracking System, Military Personnel Deployed for
OEF/OIF, by Country, November 2005 run.
Estimating Future Costs
Future costs will depend on not only changes in the number of deployed troops
but also the pace of operations, DOD policy and contracting decisions, and the size
of the overall reset bill in years to come. For cost purposes, average annual troop
levels may be the most useful benchmark but DOD has not provided those figures.
Based on DOD’s reporting of war obligations, CRS estimates that the average
number of deployed troops for both missions was about 190,000 in FY2003, 238,000
in FY2004 and about 252,000 in FY2005 (see Table 7).50
49 CRS calculations based on Defense Manpower Data Center, Contingency Tracking
System, Military Personnel Deployed in Support of the Global War on Terrorism, by
country, November 2005 run.
50 CRS calculated average personnel levels from DFAS funding for hostile fire or imminent
danger pay; since each troop is entitled to $225 per month in hostile fire pay, total funding
(continued...)

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CRS-30
To give another window into trends and how changes in troop levels may affect
costs, CRS estimated the average cost to support each troop deployed — both support
and investment costs (see Table 7). Only some costs (e.g., for meals, body armor,
operating tempo, and ammunition) are likely to vary directly in proportion with troop
levels, so the average cost per troop cannot be used by itself to predict future costs.
Other support costs, like base support for example, are likely to change
gradually, perhaps only with substantial decreases or increases that would cause
individual facilities to be closed or opened. To predict future costs, one would need
to make some reasonable assumptions about the portion of costs that vary directly
with changes in troop levels and those that lag or are more fixed in the short-term.
Investment costs to replace equipment also appear to lag operations and are now
expected to persist after operations are complete according to the services.
Average Annual Cost Per Troop. Based on average troop levels, the
annual operational cost per troop participating in OIF operations was about $275,000
in FY2005. If the cost of investment in additional equipment or facilities is included,
the annual average rises to about $360,000 per troop (see Table 7).51
Table 7. Average Annual Cost Per Deployed Troop by
Operation: FY2003-FY2005
AVERAGE TROOP LEVELS AND COST
FY2003
FY2004
FY2005
Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF) and Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF)
Average Monthly Troop Levels: OIF and OEF
190,000
238,000
252,000
Average annual operational cost per troop
$310,000
$275,000
$273,000
Average annual obligations per troop
$318,000
$305,000
$355,000
Operation Iraqi Freedom
Average monthly troop levels
157,000
206,000
202,000
Average annual operational cost per troop
$278,000
$257,000
$275,000
Average annual obligations per troop
$284,000
$289,000
$361,000
Operation Enduring Freedom
Average monthly troop levels
34,000
33,000
50,000
Average annual operational cost per troop
$463,000
$390,000
$267,000
Average annual obligations per troop
$478,000
$405,000
$275,000
Notes and Sources: Numbers may not add due to rounding. CRS calculations based on hostile fire
pay, total obligations, and sum of military personnel and operation and maintenance obligations as
reported by the Defense Finance Accounting Service, Supplemental & Cost of War Execution Reports,
FY2003, FY2004, FY2005 plus intelligence obligations; understates FY2005 costs because does not
include cost to train and equip Afghan and Iraqi security forces, Army modularity costs and possibly
some military personnel costs.
50 (...continued)
can be divided by 12 to get a monthly level and that figure can be divided by $225 to get
average troop levels. These figures are similar to but do not match average levels calculated
from DMDC’s Contingency Tracking System.
51 This estimate is based on CRS estimates of average troop levels and DFAS-reported costs
which do not include such costs as intelligence, modularity, or the training of Afghan and
Iraqi security forces.

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CRS-31
By FY2005, operational costs for OEF troops declined to roughly the same
amount as OIF — $267,000 — probably because of the spike in the number of troops
from 33,000 to 50,000. Before that, operational costs were over $100,000 higher per
troop for the OEF mission. Little of DOD’s procurement monies is slated for the
OEF mission so the $275,000 overall average cost is lower than for the OIF mission
(see Table 7).

These costs are considerably higher than the $90,000 average to “sustain a U.S.
service member in a theater ...” that was cited by Secretary Rumsfeld in recent
testimony.52 The DOD figure may be a narrow definition of support including only
military pay and base support costs.
Illustrative Future Costs. The Administration and DOD have not been
willing to estimate war costs beyond the current fiscal year citing the uncertainties
of ongoing operations. Based on an illustrative scenario in which dedicated force
levels for the global war on terror (GWOT) fall from about 258,000 in FY2006 to
about 73,000 by FY2010, CBO estimates that war costs could total an additional
$197 billion between FY2007 and FY2010 and $371 billion between FY2007 and
FY2016.53 Based on that rough CBO estimate, the cumulative cost of the global war
on terror could reach $634 billion by FY2010 and $808 billion by FY2016.
CBO’s alternative path assumes that funding will decline from about $95 billion
supporting 258,000 troops in FY2006 to:
! $75 billion in FY2007 with 220,000 troops;
! $55 billion in FY2008 with 170,000 troops;
! $40 billion in FY2009 with 123,000 troops;
! $30 billion in FY2010 with 73,000 troops; and
! an annual average of $29 billion between FY2011 and FY2016 for
73,000 troops.54
In CBO’s illustrative estimate, overall war costs would drop by $20 billion
between FY2006 and FY2007 if the number of dedicated troops fell by 38,000 from
258,000 to 220,000. CBO’s estimate includes about $60 billion in investment —
mostly in FY2006 for accrued costs some of which may already be financed in the
FY2005 and FY2006 supplemental. In CBO’s estimates, operational costs do not
52 Secretary Rumsfeld in hearing before Senate Appropriations Committee, Supplemental
Budget Request for Operations in Iraq and Afghanistan, March 9, 2006.
53 CBO’s estimate of troops includes both those deployed and reservists activated to do the
jobs of active-duty troops deployed and provide enhanced security at bases.
54 CBO, An Alternative Budget Path Assuming a Reduction in Spending for Military
Operations in Iraq and Afghanistan and in support of the Global War on Terrorism, Feb.
24, 2006; [http://www.cbo.gov/ftpdocs/70xx/doc7048/02-24-AlternativePath.pdf]; see also,
[http://www.cbo.gov/publications/collections/iraq.cfm].

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CRS-32
immediately fall with drops in troop levels but fall more proportionately in later
years.55
To get a more precise figure, Congress may want DOD to construct illustrative
scenarios showing rough estimates of how costs would change with different troop
levels as well as the size of overall reset requirements in light of funding already
provided or programmed.
Oversight Options for War Cost Reporting
Both CRS and GAO have found that DOD’s war cost reports appear to leave out
substantial amounts of war spending, including over $7 billion in FY2003 funding
provided in DOD’s regular defense appropriations act that was intended for the
global war on terror, as well as $10 billion each year for the next five years included
in DOD’s budget plans for the same purpose.56 CRS also found that about $2.5
billion used by DOD to prepare for the invasion of Iraq came from funds
appropriated before Congress passed the resolution approving the use of force in
Iraq.57
CRS also found that DOD’s cumulative figures for war obligations understate
expenses by over $20 billion because DOD’s financial system for tracking war costs
has excluded certain types of expenses.58 Although CRS has tried to capture
accurately all of DOD’s war-related spending — including transfers from baseline
appropriations — CRS estimates may not capture all war-related spending or may,
in some cases, be overstated because of possible double-counting.
55 CBO, An Alternative Budget Path Assuming a Reduction in Spending for Military
Operations in Iraq and Afghanistan and in support of the Global War on Terrorism, Feb.
24, 2006; [http://www.cbo.gov/ftpdocs/70xx/doc7048/02-24-AlternativePath.pdf]; see also,
[http://www.cbo.gov/publications/collections/iraq.cfm].
56 CRS’s conclusion is based on an analysis comparing DOD’s budget authority with its war
obligations reports. GAO also found that DOD had lost visibility over $10 billion added to
DOD’s planned funding for each year between FY2003 and FY2007 for the global war on
terrorism; see U.S. Government Accountability Office, Global War on Terrorism: DoD
Needs to Improve the Reliability of Cost Data and Provide Additional Guidance to Control
Costs, GAO-05-882, Sept. 2005, pp. 33, 35; [http://www.gao.gov/new.items/d05882.pdf].
57 A DOD table attributes $2.5 billion in funds for Iraq to years before FY2003, probably from
the first two war supplementals (P.L. 107-38 and P.L. 108-206), which were to “respond to the
terrorist attacks,” of September 11th and “to continue the global war on terrorism ....” These
funds probably included the $700 million that according to Bob Woodward’s book, Plan of
Attack, President Bush used to upgrade facilities and prepare for the war in Iraq in the summer
of 2002 before passage of the joint resolution authorizing the use of force in Iraq. This account
was disputed by then-Deputy Defense Secretary Wolfowitz.
58 For example, DOD told press representatives that its cumulative obligations for OIF, OEF,
and ONE totaled $251 through FY2005 based on its Supplemental & Cost of war reports.
That total does not include funds for intelligence, some funds for Army modularity and
military personnel, and $7.0 billion to train and equip Afghan and Iraqi security forces.

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CRS-33
Keeping track of costs is also problematic because since FY2003, Congress has
provided funds to DOD twice a year — in bridge funds and a supplemental.
Congress has provided funds in DOD’s regular appropriations to cover the initial
months of the fiscal year and bridge the gap until passage of a supplemental later in
the year, without receiving a DOD request. DOD’s justification materials for its
supplementals typically do not show expenses for the full year in any consistent
fashion so it is difficult to compare individual types of expenses between years.

Reporting Alternatives. How might Congress get better, accurate
information on war costs? To get official figures and a better sense of DOD’s plans,
Congress may want to consider directing DOD to do one or more of the following:
! allocate all funds by military operation in its requests;
! report previous and projected funding and actual and planned troop
levels by operation after enactment;
! compare budget authority appropriated with obligations and outlays
by operation and type of expense in a timely manner;
! estimate and explain the rationale for reset requirements to repair
and replace equipment that is worn or lost in combat;
! estimate and explain recapitalization requirements to upgrade
equipment; and
! show how funding provided in supplemental appropriations may
reduce DOD’s baseline requests by funding maintenance or
procurement earlier than anticipated.
Particularly if the global war on terror is likely to become “the long war” as
some Administration spokesman have suggested, Congress may want to consider
requiring that DOD request a full year’s war funds concurrently with the regular
budget as well as provide the same level of detail as in its regular requests. This
option would make it easier to see DOD’s full costs each year and to compare war
and baseline-funding. On the other hand, it would also be more difficult for DOD
to estimate its requirements at an earlier point in time.
Another option that Congress may want to consider to improve the tracking and
visibility of war costs, would be to set up separate accounts for war-related funding.
Because DOD currently mixes its war-related and baseline program funds in the same
accounts, it is difficult if not impossible to segregate all war-related funds or track
war outlays. On the other hand, mixing baseline and war funds gives the services
more flexibility to move funds from one purpose to the other.
Disclosing and developing more accurate war cost information could provide
another metric for measuring progress in each operation. Although Congress
required that DOD report quarterly on a wide range of metrics for measuring success
in Iraq beginning in July 2005, this requirement does not include estimates of current
or future costs.59
59 H.Rept. 109-72, p. 97; DOD, Report to Congress, “Measuring Stability and Security in
Iraq,” July 21, 2005; [http://www.defenselink.mil/news/Jul2005/d20050721secstab.pdf].

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CRS-34
The State Department has provided Congress with more detailed reports on its
various reconstruction activities in Iraq including both monthly reports — required
by statute — and with weekly updates at its discretion.60 Accurate, consistent and
complete reporting by DOD to Congress on an ongoing and current basis could help
Congress assess trends in war-related spending and DOD’s additional requests for
Iraq and Afghanistan in the years to come.
60 See for example, State Dept. 2207 Reports to Congress, July 2005, executive summary
[http://www.state.gov/documents/organization/48891.pdf].

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CRS-35
Appendix
Table A1. Defense Department, Foreign Operations Funding,
and VA Medical Funding for Iraq, Afghanistan and Other Global
War on Terror, and Enhanced Base Security, FY2001- FY2006
(in billions of dollars of budget authority)a
Foreign
Public
Date
DOD
Aid
VA
Total
Name of law
Law No. Enacted Funds Embassy Medical
cost
FY2001 Emerg. Supp. Approp. Act
for Recovery from and Response to
107-38
9/18/01
13.6
0.3
0.0
13.9
Terrorist Attacks on the United States
FY2002 Dept. Of Defense and
107-117
1/10/02
3.4
0.0
0.0
3.4
Emergency Terrorism Response Act
FY2002 Emergency Supplemental
107-206
8/2/02
13.8
0.4
0.0
14.1
FY2002 Regular Foreign Operations
107-115
1/10-02
0.0
0.2
0.0
0.2
FY2003 Consolidated Approps
108-7
2/20/03
10.0
0.4
0.0
10.4
FY2003 Emergency Supplemental
108-11
4/16/03
62.6
3.3
0.0
66.0
FY2003 DOD Appropriationsb
107-48 10/23/02
[7.1]b
0.0
0.0 [7.1]*
FY2004 DOD Appropriations Act
108-87
9/30/03
-3.5
0.0
0.0
-3.5
(rescission of FY03 funds)
FY2004 Emergency Supplemental
108-106
11/6/03
64.9
21.2
0.0
86.1
FY2004 Foreign Operations
108-199
1/23/04
0.0
0.5
0.0
0.5
FY2005 DOD Appropriations Act,
108-287
8/5/04
24.9
0.7
0.0
25.6
Titles IX and X
FY2005 Supplemental Appropsc
109-13
5/11/05
75.7
3.1
0.0
78.8
FY2005 Omnibus Appropriations
108-447
12/8/04
0.0
1.0
0.0
1.0
FY2005 DOD Appropriations Actd
108-287
8/5/04
2.1
0.0
0.0
2.1
FY2006 DOD Approps Act, Title IXe
109-148 12/30/05
49.9
0.0
0.0
49.9
FY2006 DOD Appropriations Actd
109-148 12/30/05
1.9
0.0
0.0
1.9
FY2006 Foreign Operations and Rel.
109-102 11/14/05
0.0
1.0
0.0
1.0
Ag. Approp. Act
FY2006 Science, State, & Rel.
Agencies Appropriations Acte
109-108 11/22/05
0.0
0.1
0.0
0.1
FY2006 Interior & Rel. Ag. Approp.f
109-54
8/2/05
0.0
0.0
0.2
0.2
FY2006 Military Quality of Life &
109-114 11/30/05
0.0
0.0
0.5
0.5
Veterans Affairsf
TOTAL APPROP. W/O $7.1B
NA
NA
319.2
32.1
0.7 352.0
TOTAL APPROP. W/ $7.1B
NA
NA
326.3
32.1
0.7 359.1
FY2003 Transfers
various
NA
1.2
0.0
0.0
1.2
FY2004 Transfers
various
NA
5.8
0.0
0.0
5.8
FY2005 Transfers
various
NA
1.6
0.0
0.0
1.6
Subtotal Transfersg
8.6
0.0
0.0
8.6
TOTAL ENACTED (w/ transfers)
NA
NA
334.9
32.1
0.7 367.7
FY2006 Emergency Supplemental,
P.L. 109-234, 6-14-06
NA
NA
65.9
3.1
0.0
69.0
429.7
GRAND TOTAL WITH FY2006
393.7 to
NA
NA
35.2
0.7
to
SUPPLEMENTAL, P.L.109-234
400.8*
436.8*

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CRS-36
Source: CRS calculations based on public laws and DOD documents.
Notes: NA=Not Applicable. Totals may not add due to rounding.
a. Totals reflect budget authority for war-related expenses from appropriations and transfers, and
exclude funds transferred to other agencies, contingent appropriations not approved, rescissions
that do not affect war-related funds, and transfers that were later restored in supplemental
appropriations.
b. Range reflects totals with and without $7.1 billion in regular FY2003 defense appropriations that
may or may not have spent on GWOT.
c. Excludes funds for tsunami relief and for the new office for the Director of National Intelligence.
d. Reflects funds obligated for enhanced security (Operation Noble Eagle) in FY2005 from DOD’s
baseline funds; CRS estimated FY2006 based on FY2005 level; Title IX of DOD’s regular
appropriations bills in FY2005 and FY2006 provided DOD with “additional appropriations” or
a bridge fund for Iraq and Afghanistan until passage of a supplemental.
e. Includes funds for embassy operations.
f. Interior bill included additional emergency VA medical care funding for veterans of Iraq and
Afghanistan; VA estimate of medical costs for veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan in both acts.
g. CRS calculated funding for transfers from DOD’s list on their website.

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