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href="https://www.telesurtv.net/english/news/Report-US-Spends-250-Million-per-Day-for-the-War-on-Terror-20171101-0013.html">https://www.telesurtv.net/english/news/Report-US-Spends-250-Million-per-Day-for-the-War-on-Terror-20171101-0013.html</a></font>
<h1 id="reader-title">US Spends $250 Million per Day for the War
on Terror<br>
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<div id="meta-data" class="meta-data">
<div id="reader-estimated-time">1 November 2017 </div>
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<p>According to a newly published United States Department
of Defense (DoD) “cost of war” report, U.S. taxpayers
have shelled out $1.46 trillion for war since September
11, 2001, when the War on Terror began.</p>
<blockquote>
<p><strong>RELATED:</strong> <br>
<a
href="https://www.telesurtv.net/english/news/US-House-Passes-Record-Military-Budget-More-Than-Trump-Request-20170716-0007.html">US
House Passes Record Military Budget, More Than Trump
Request</a></p>
</blockquote>
<p>This amounts to around $250 million per day.</p>
<p>The report was published by the Federation of American
Scientists Secrecy News blog and covers the period of
September 11, 2001 to mid-2017.</p>
<p>As the report notes, nearly $1.3 trillion of the total
cost spent on the Iraq and Afghanistan wars alone. On
top of this, continuing operations in Afghanistan and
the U.S.-led air campaign in Iraq and Syria has totalled
$120 billion.</p>
<p>U.S. President Donald Trump promised to rebuild
America’s military which he sees as less extravagant
than it ever has been.</p>
<p>"Our active-duty armed forces have shrunk from 2
million in 1991 to about 1.3 million today," he said in
a speech. "The Navy has shrunk from over 500 ships to
272 ships during this same period of time. The Air Force
is about one-third smaller than 1991. Pilots flying
B-52s in combat missions today. These planes are older
than virtually everybody in this room."</p>
<p>Part of Trump’s plan to ‘rebuild’ the U.S.’ military is
to make sure that the military is "funded beautifully."</p>
<p>The Trump administration has proposed a $603 billion
defense budget, which well exceeds the cap of $549
billion, and would require the U.S. Congress to make
spending cuts in other areas.</p>
<p>In July, the House of Representatives approved $696.5
billion in defense spending, which includes a base
budget of $621.5 billion and $75 billion in ‘Overseas
Contingency Operations dollars’, commonly referred to as
‘war money’. Conversely, the Senate passed a $640
billion base defense budget with a $60 billion
allocation for war money. Both versions of the budget
well exceed the Trump administration’s proposal, making
this defense budget, by far, the largest defense budget
in U.S. history.</p>
<p>While the U.S.’ current and proposed military spending
is massive, the DoD’s “cost of war” report did not take
into account other collateral costs of war, including
veteran’s benefits and other related costs.</p>
<p>International Business Times notes that: “The report’s
costs include only direct war-related expenses such as
operating and maintaining bases, procuring equipment,
and paying for and feeding troops.” The report does not
include intelligence spending on the War on Terror, nor
does it include veteran’s benefits.</p>
<p>Harvard Kennedy School professor Linda Bilmes estimated
in 2011 that the cost of veteran’s benefits would range
between $600 billion - $1 trillion. However, since
Bilmes’ study, the number of veterans receiving benefits
has skyrocketed. Current estimates project the figure to
be $674 billion over the next 40 years.</p>
<blockquote>
<p><strong>RELATED:</strong><br>
<a
href="https://www.telesurtv.net/english/news/US-Military-Pushes-Budget-Control-Removal-to-Project-Power-20170617-0003.html">US
Military, Already World's Largest, Pushes for Budget
Limit Removal, to 'Project Power'</a></p>
</blockquote>
<p>The U.S. intelligence apparatus also operates under a
$52.6 billion annual operating budget, which includes 16
agencies, with the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA)
soaking up the lion’s share of $14.7 billion, according
to leaks that were revealed by Edward Snowden. The CIA
spent $1 billion alone annually training and arming
military opposition factions in Syria.</p>
<p>The report also does not take into account the large
military-contractor economy that has surged around the
War on Terror, which is currently valued at around
$674.4 billion.</p>
<p>The War on Terror is the second most expensive war in
U.S. history, trailing well behind (but perhaps not for
long) World War II, which costed an estimated $4.1
trillion in today’s dollars. For comparison, the long
and drawn out Vietnam War costed around $770 billion,
with an additional $250 billion if veteran’s benefits
are taken into account.</p>
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