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The Taliban Super Soldier- A $50 Million Man<br><br>
</font><h1><b>Killing each Taliban soldier costs $50 Million
</b></h1><font size=3>Killing 20 Taliban costs $1 Billion / Killing all
the Taliban would cost $1.7 Trillion<br><br>
</font><font size=2>Thursday 30 September 2010, by
<a href="http://www.kabulpress.org/my/spip.php?auteur1518">Matthew
Nasuti</a><br>
<a href="http://www.kabulpress.org/my/spip.php?article32304" eudora="autourl">
http://www.kabulpress.org/my/spip.php?article32304<br><br>
</a></font><font size=3>The Pentagon will not tell the public what it
costs to locate, target and kill a single Taliban soldier because the
price-tag is so scandalously high that it makes the Taliban appear to be
Super-Soldiers. As set out in this article, the estimated cost to kill
each Taliban is as high as $100 million, with a conservative estimate
being $50 million. A public discussion should be taking place in the
United States regarding whether the Taliban have become too expensive an
enemy to defeat.<br><br>
Each month the Pentagon generates a ream of dubious statistics designed
to create the illusion of progress in Afghanistan. In response this
author decided to compile his own statistics. As the goal of any war is
to kill the enemy, the idea was to calculate what it actually costs to
kill just one of the enemy. The obstacles encountered in generating such
a statistic are formidable. The problem is that the Pentagon continues to
illegally classify all negative war news and embarrassing information.
Regardless, some information has been collected from independent sources.
Here is what we know in summary and round numbers:<br><br>
<b>1.Taliban Field Strength: 35,000 troops<br><br>
2.Taliban Killed Per Year by Coalition forces: 2,000 (best available
information)<br><br>
3.Pentagon Direct Costs for Afghan War for 2010: $100 billion<br><br>
4.Pentagon Indirect Costs for Afghan War for 2010: $100 billion<br><br>
</b>Using the fact that 2,000 Taliban are being killed each year and that
the Pentagon spends $200 billion per year on the war in Afghanistan, one
simply has to divide one number into the other. That calculation reveals
that $100 million is being spent to kill each Taliban soldier. In order
to be conservative, the author decided to double the number of Taliban
being killed each year by U.S. and NATO forces (although the likelihood
of such being true is unlikely). This reduces the cost to kill each
Taliban to $50 million, which is the title of this article. The final
number is outrageously high regardless of how one calculates it.<br><br>
To put this information another way, using the conservative estimate of
$50 million to kill each Taliban:<br><br>
<b>It costs the American taxpayers $1 billion to kill 20 Taliban<br><br>
</b>As the U.S. military estimates there to be 35,000 hard-core Taliban
and assuming that no reinforcements and replacements will arrive from
Pakistan and Iran:<br><br>
<b>Just killing the existing Taliban would cost $1.75 Trillion<br><br>
</b>The reason for these exorbitant costs is that United States has the
world’s most mechanized, computerized, weaponized and synchronized
military, not to mention the most pampered (at least at Forward Operating
Bases). An estimated 150,000 civilian contractors support, protect, feed
and cater to the American personnel in Afghanistan, which is an
astonishing number. The Americans enjoy such perks and distinctions in
part because no other country is willing to pay (waste) so much money on
their military.<br><br>
The ponderous American war machine is a logistics nightmare and a
maintenance train wreck. It is also part-myth. This author served at a
senior level within the U.S. Air Force. Air Force “smart” bombs are no
way near as consistently accurate as the Pentagon boasts; Army mortars
remain inaccurate; even standard American field rifles are frequently
outmatched by Taliban weapons, which have a longer range. The American
public would pale if it actually learned the full story about the poor
quality of the weapons and equipment that are being purchased with its
tax dollars. The Taliban’s best ally within the United States may be the
Pentagon, whose contempt for fiscal responsibility and accountability may
force a premature U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan as the Americans
cannot continue to fund these Pentagon excesses.<br><br>
If President Obama refuses to drastically reform the Pentagon’s
inefficient way of making war, he may conclude that the Taliban is simply
too expensive an enemy to fight. He would then have little choice but to
abandon the Afghan people to the Taliban’s “Super-Soldiers.” That would
be an intolerable disgrace.<br><br>
</font><h3><b>The problem is not simply within the Pentagon.
</b></h3><font size=3>T<b>he hapless U.S. State Department is equally to
blame. It: <br><br>
</b>1.Continues to sit on the sidelines of this war;<br><br>
2.Refused for nine years to deploy an adequate number of civilian
experts;<br><br>
3.Continues to hire abusive and disreputable security
contractors;<br><br>
4.Failed to fight for the needs of Afghan civilians; and<br><br>
5.Has made little effort to win their hearts and minds.<br><br>
A crucial statistic that demonstrates this is to compare military and
security expenditures by the United States in Afghanistan with
expenditures for civilian aid, such as reconstruction. That statistic is
as follows:<br><br>
Money spent on Military/Security: $365 billion Money spent on Afghan
civilians: $8.5 billion<br><br>
This latter number spells out “FAILURE.” U.S. diplomats and USAID
officials have failed to improve the lives of ordinary Afghans and as a
result they have accomplished the impossible. Their lack of resolve and
interest has made an increasing number of disillusioned Afghans view
Taliban rule as potentially an improvement.<br><br>
</font><h3><b>Appendix (Supporting
Information)</b></h3><font size=3><b>Taliban Field Strength:<br><br>
</b>The figure of 35,000 is based on an interview given by General
Stanley McChrystal earlier this year.<br><br>
<b>Taliban Soldiers Killed: <br><br>
</b>The Pentagon refuses to disclose the total number of Taliban killed
each month in Afghanistan by coalition forces, special operations
personnel and the CIA. One reason became obvious during Operation
Moshtarak in Marjah earlier this year. The Pentagon and NATO refused to
specify the actual number of Taliban casualties in Marjah because the
number was embarrassing low. American, NATO and Afghan forces reportedly
suffered more casualties (killed and wounded) than they inflicted on the
Taliban, making Marjah a military defeat for the West (if casualties
determine victory or defeat).<br><br>
To fill the gap created by Pentagon silence on this issue, media groups
have published their own Taliban casualty count based on official and
press reports. That count is inflated as the U.S. military labels
everyone it kills a “Taliban militant,” even if they are criminals, drug
traders, war lords or civilians defending their homes. As a result of the
Pentagon’s lack of credibility on this issue, this author assumes that
only 50% of those labeled as Taliban actually are.<br><br>
The Associated Press has reported that 3,800 militants were killed in
2008, and 4,500 in 2009. Pro-NATO blogs, such as the web site “Terrorist
Death Watch,” have calculated that 3,667 terrorists have been killed in
Afghanistan since January 1, 2006, (about 700 per year). The author
assumes that an average of 2,000 hard-core Taliban are killed each
year<br><br>
<b>U.S. Military Costs:<br><br>
</b>Total military expenditures in Afghanistan are not clear as the
Pentagon does not release all of its direct and indirect cost for the
war. While most direct costs are known, billions of dollars in CIA and
special operations costs are improperly classified and remain hidden. In
addition, the indirect costs for the war (i.e., military regular pay,
equipment depreciation, wear & tear, long term health costs, Pentagon
support costs within the U.S., USTRANSCOM transportation costs, transport
hub costs such as Manas air base, costs for borrowing funds etc.) are not
precisely known. Independent studies conducted of the Iraq war are
available and they calculate that the indirect costs equal or exceed the
direct costs.<br><br>
</font><h3><b>What we know about Pentagon direct costs is as
follows:</b></h3><font size=3>- From 2001, to April 2009, the Pentagon
directly spent $171.7 billion in Afghanistan. <br>
<img src="http://www.kabulpress.org/my/local/cache-vignettes/L8xH11/puce-cebf5.gif" width=8 height=11 alt="-">
From May 2009, to the present, the Pentagon directly spent an
additional $166.3 billion. This is an incredible increase over the past
17 months.<br><br>
</font><h3><b>Monthly expenditures have also seen a staggering increase.
</b></h3>
<img src="http://www.kabulpress.org/my/local/cache-vignettes/L8xH11/puce-cebf5.gif" width=8 height=11 alt="-">
</b></h3><font size=3> October 2009, the Pentagon was directly
spending $3.6 billion a month. <br>
<img src="http://www.kabulpress.org/my/local/cache-vignettes/L8xH11/puce-cebf5.gif" width=8 height=11 alt="-">
February 2010, the Pentagon was directly spending $6.7 billion a
month. <br>
<img src="http://www.kabulpress.org/my/local/cache-vignettes/L8xH11/puce-cebf5.gif" width=8 height=11 alt="-">
October 2010, with the addition of 35,000 more combat and support
troops into Afghanistan, the number must be close to $8 billion a
month.<br><br>
</font><h3><b>Some estimates place direct Pentagon Afghan war costs for
all of 2010, at $105 billion.</b></h3><font size=3><b>U.S. State
Department Costs:<br><br>
</b>Officially the State Department and USAID have expended about $35
billion in Afghanistan since 2001. According to most audits, about 75% or
$27.5 billion has been spent on training, housing and equipping the
Afghan security services, and road construction with the balance ($8.5
billion) being spent on civilian projects. Much of this $8.5 billion has
been wasted on dilapidated schools and minor “trophy” projects in
Kabul.<br><br>
<br><br>
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