End Afghan War & Dependence on Oil
The War Costs of USA Dependence On Oil: One Trillion Enroute to Two Trillion
Click Here for Petition to End Afghan War & Dependence on Oil
Almost all “get it” that among the costs of our dependence on oil are disasters like that in the Gulf. Most “get it” that burning oil adds greatly to the emissions that threaten all life on earth with catastrophic global warming or climate change. Many “get it” that the world’s oil will be for all intents and purposes exhausted in just 25 or 30 years, and that the cost of gas and things dependent on it like food production will inevitably soon skyrocket as oil grows more scarce and what is left is more costly to extract.
Not enough “get it” that the principal reason for the USA’s “War on Terror” at home and in Iraq and Afghanistan is among other things the hyped excuse for military action to insure access to oil in the Middle East.
SEN wants you to know the cost of that war atop the human carnage to date. Note that the government report mentions that CBO was asked to supply spending projections through 2020. Yes, they contemplate a doubling of the duration of the war that is already America’s longest ever. What kind of war do they imagine when other nations like China as as desperate for the last of the oil as the USA?
The Cost of Iraq, Afghanistan, and Other Global War on Terror Operations Since 9/11 Has Passed $1 Trillion and Up to Another Trillion Is Planned
Below is our government agency’s report:
July 16, 2010 Congressional Research Service Summary
With the December 2009 enactment of the FY2010 Defense Appropriations Act (H.R. 3326/P.L. 111-118) and the FY2010 Consolidated Appropriations Act (H.R. 3288/P.L. 111-117), Congress has approved a total of $1.086 trillion 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) Afghanistan and other counter terror operations; Operation Noble Eagle (ONE), providing enhanced security at military bases; and Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF). Of this $1.086 trillion total, CRS estimates that Iraq will receive about $748 billion (69%), OEF about $304 billion (28%) and enhanced base security about $29 billion (3%), with about $5 billion that CRS cannot allocate (1%). About 94% of the funds are for DOD, 5% for foreign aid programs and embassy operations, and 1% for medical care for veterans.
As of April, 2010, more than halfway through FY2010, monthly spending, or obligations for contracts and military and civilian pay, averaged $10.9 billion, including $5.4 billion for Iraq and $5.5 billion for Afghanistan. While this year’s average to date is 11% below last year’s $12.3 billion average, average spending may grow as troop levels rise to 98,000 in Afghanistan and fall to 50,000 in Iraq because higher costs in Afghanistan may more than offset decreases in Iraq.
Congress is currently considering the FY2010 Supplemental request for an additional $36.6 billion for DOD and the State Department, largely to cover the cost of deploying 30,000 additional troops to Afghanistan that President Obama announced on December 1, 2009. Most recently, the House adopted an amended version on June 30th and the Senate passed its version on May 27th, 2010. Instead of a formal conference, the Senate is expected to revise the House version and send it back to the House, in a “ping pong” process, sometime in July.
If the pending FY2010 supplemental request is enacted, cumulative war costs would total $1.1 trillion including $751 billion for Iraq, $336 billion for Afghanistan, and $29 billion for enhanced security. By FY2010, Afghanistan would account for about two-thirds of the cost and Iraq one-third, a reversal of the previous year.
The Administration requested $171 billion in both FY2010 and FY2011 while average troop strength for both wars is due to fall from 185,000 to 145,000, a 20% drop. Average strength in Iraq would fall from 100,000 in FY2010 to 43,000 in FY2011 while strength in Afghanistan would grow from 84,000 in FY2010 to 98,000 in FY2011. The final withdrawal from Iraq is slated to be complete by December 2011, the end of the first quarter of FY2012, as required by the U.S.-Iraq Security Agreement. If both the Administration’s FY2010 Supplemental and FY2011 war request are enacted, total war related funding would reach almost $1.3 trillion, including $802 billion for Iraq, $455 billion for Afghanistan, $29 billion for enhanced security, and $6 billion that cannot be allocated. Of this cumulative total, 62% would be for Iraq, 35% for Afghanistan, and 2% for enhanced security.
In a January 2010 update, the Congressional Budget Office projected that additional war costs for FY2012-FY2020 could range from $274 billion if troop levels fell to 30,000 by early 2013 to $588 billion if troop levels fell to 60,000 by about 2015. Under these CBO projections, funding for Iraq, Afghanistan and the Global War on Terror could total from about $1.56 trillion to about $1.88 trillion for FY2001-FY2020 depending on the scenario.
Oh I ” Get it” …ENOUGH IS ENOUGH!
Pleasure to sign!
Our world and its people in power are mostly all corrupt and disgusting, caring only for themselves.
The wars have been costing the USA $15 billion dollars a month since their inception. To what avail? Iran and Afghanistan will be the same countries they were before. If you want to stop terrorism within the US, scrutunize immigration. I just read that Porsche developed an electric car that has a lot of horsepower. Why are US automakers still producing gas guzzlers?
SPEAK OUT! Raise your voice against the outrageous insanity of this war! Help bring this to an end. Urge the International and the Afghanistan war mongers to end this insanity. Join a SAWA group in your country and support RAWA and the Afghan women who work for peace and freedom from all those who play this intolerable game for whatever self serving reason. Tell these madmen to take their weapons out of Afghanistan, for now and for good and leave these people in peace!
No more war; this time against Iran!!
My son will be going to Iraq for the 5th or 6th Christmas since it started. I’m getting sick of it and will be happy if we can all finish this once and for all!
Obama is not keeping his word to the people anymore. At least when Labour came in here they took all the RAAF people out of Afghanistan for which I was glad as one of my sons was the last one to serve there. It doesn’t make it easy on the families especially for those with relatives on the ground.
It also makes it hard on the children when their dad always seems to be away with Christmas. I think my granddaughter has had her dad one christmas at home since she was born!!!!!
ALL BECAUSE AMERICA’S PRESIDENTS ARE AS GREEDY AS HELL
The illegal and atrocious military actions perpetrated by our government, in our name and with our troops must stop. Anyone who imagines that the term ‘war on terror’ is anything other than nonsense needs to wake up. Our actions are creating more and more enemies, as we continue to slaughter and blow up innocent men, women and children, while seeking to eliminate ‘terror’. It seems that we are the ‘terror’ in the eyes of the Iraquis and the Afghans, and many others. These so-called ‘wars’ are illegal, without foundation and contribute to our insecurity rather than otherwise. It has made murderers and terrorists of us all, as we stand by and watch our government indulge in the bloody slaughter of innocents. It is bankrupting what’s left of our economy and destroying our international reputation. We decry Hitler, but didn’t we (that is, our wise leaders) kill over 2 MILLION iraquis because ‘Saddam was a ‘BAD MAN’ ‘? How can those who profess to be Christians support such an action? And just about all the right wing war hawks claim that distinction. Perhaps they should read the new testament. Had they been Romans at that time, they would have been driving the nails into the cross. This needs to end. Do what you can.
Gladly signed. No more war!
War is no answer, lives are lost and too much sadness left behind.
Thank you very much for including the rest of the world in your actions. Mostly our own governments are just as lame when it comes to dealing with these issues. Our own oil industry is as ruthless as yours is. The status quo has always been “no interest? No action!”. All our countries wage wars involved in asset gathering. Oh the excuses for their actions are priceless, aren’t they?! That’s why 800 million people go to bed hungry every night and 1:8 don’t have access to drinkable water.
Thanks very much Suzanne for your contribution to this necessary piece of good work ! Star under way for it
Signed. I was against this stupid war before it started, but the loud mouth neo-cons convinced the terminally ignorant of this country that this war was patriotic. So here we are with two disastrous wars, an economy that is in the toilet and the US on the way to becoming a third world country.
As far as breaking our dependence on oil, I’m all for that. But, how do we go about doing that. I know there are a lot of geniuses who propose raising fuel prices as a solution. I am totally opposed to that idea, because it puts all of the burden on the poor and middle class; these people can’t afford more financial burdens. I find it absolutely disgusting that every solution must always be at the expense of those who have the least.
It is time we realized all of humanity is important. Help those in need and punish the few that take the law in their own hands. Don’t have a war just to rob and maime the very poorest of people to take whatever they have that we want in the name of democracy. It’s so degrading to our soldiers who think they are being patriotic and all it causes is more devastation to those who already are living in hell, and then the soldiers come back to homes gone and families destroyed.
It’s amazing how much coverage is given the killers…and how little about the victims.
Deaths from military action
http://www.justforeignpolicy.org/iraq/iraqdeaths.html
http://www.war-stories.com/aspprotect/dn-poss-body-count-1965-2.asp ( Vietnam )
http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2008/11/iraq-math-war
http://www.leadingtowar.com/ The lies to promote war
http://www.truthout.org/article/depleted-uranium-dirty-bombs-dirty-missiles-dirty-bullets The real WMD
http://www.midwinter.com/lurk/making/warprayer.html
All this money to ‘defeat’ an enemy without standing armies, air force or navy : starving among the highest mountains. What are they shooting at ?
End Afghan War & Dependence on Oil
End oil companies switch to natural uses
Your thoughts and opinions help me see the light. Thanks.
I would have to say, well stated.