John Vibes

October 22, 2014

(TheAntiMedia) It was recently admitted during a Department of Defense press conference, that the US government’s new war in Iraq and Syria is costing taxpayers an average of $7.6 million dollars per day.

Last week, Pentagon press secretary, Rear Adm. John Kirby revealed that over $424 million has been spent on airstrikes in Syria and Iraq in the past two and a half months, since the mission officially began on August 8th. Overall spending against ISIS, according to a report from the Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments, was already approaching $1 billion a month ago:

“The cost of U.S. military operations against ISIL through September 24 is likely between $780 and $930 million. The cost of future operations depends primarily on how long operations continue, the intensity of air operations, and whether additional ground forces are deployed beyond what is already planned.”

And the cost could rise much higher:

“If air operations are conducted at a higher pace and 5,000 ground forces are deployed, the costs would be between $350 and $570 million per month. If operations expand significantly to include the deployment of 25,000 U.S. troops on the ground, as some have recommended, costs would likely reach $1.1 to $1.8 billion per month.”

The report from the nonpartisan Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments estimated that the war could cost the U.S. government up to $22 billion per year depending on a possible troop increase.

This is in addition to the $4.6 billion per month that the Pentagon has been spending on air and ground operations in Afghanistan, and the countless billions spent in unofficial conflicts all over the world.

According to the Pentagon, US warplanes have conducted more than 260 airstrikes against the Islamic State in Iraq since the operation began in August.

Bloomberg reported that pentagon budget analysts are preparing an amendment to the proposed $58.6 billion war budget for the current fiscal year to include added expenditures for the new offensives in Iraq and Syria.

The Islamic State was in the news again this week, after an alleged US aid package containing weapons was accidentally dropped into the hands of the Islamic State.

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John Vibes is an author, researcher and investigative journalist who takes a special interest in the counter culture and the drug war. In addition to his writing and activist work he is also the owner of a successful music promotion company. In 2013, he became one of the organizers of the Free Your Mind Conference, which features top caliber speakers and whistle-blowers from all over the world. You can contact him and stay connected to his work at his Facebook page. You can find his 65 chapter Book entitled “Alchemy of the Timeless Renaissance” at bookpatch.com.