Gates Wants $17B to Expand Afghan Army

[unhappycamper]

Source: military.com / Associated Press

Gates Wants $17B to Expand Afghan Army
August 11, 2008
Associated Press

WASHINGTON - Defense Secretary Robert Gates has endorsed a new five-year, $17 billion plan to increase the size of the Afghan army by about 50,000 troops.

The move follows a proposal from the Afghanistan government, and the price tag includes the costs for routine Afghan Army combat operations and upgrading the air corps, beginning in 2010, Pentagon press secretary Geoff Morrell said Friday.

He said it generally costs about $1 billion a year to increase forces by 10,000, and another $100,000 to sustain them.

Officials are currently looking at ways to finance it. Options include seeking money from NATO allies.

Read more: http://www.military.com/news/article/gates-wants-17b-to-expand-afghan-army.html?col=1186032310810

[saigon68]

1. Officials are currently looking at ways to finance it

The NEOCONS and Joementum will look to the US tax-payer

[BRLIB]

2. That's $340,000 per troop trained!

Damn, that makes college look cheap! But blowing folks up is more important, I guess.

Heh, I want $17 billion to fix the levees!

I think domestic should get preference over foreign.



FK these military asswipes!

P.S. Get the surplus from Iraq.

[iconicgnom]

5. Iraq's surplus belongs to Iraq. *warning: rant*

And no, the US hasn't even begun to pay the reparations that should be paid. The get rich quick schemes that started before the US invasion, where the US gov't already started allotting no-bid contracts to its cronies and insider corporations shouldn't be paid for by Iraq! The US bombing and invasion and occupation of Iraq shouldn't be paid for "with Iraq's oil money", as Bush/Cheney claimed it should before they even started the destruction -- because the US never did and doesn't own that oil. Tho' it's commonplace for even Dems to complain that Iraq should be paying for the so-called "rebuilding" that its crony contractors feign to do, nevertheless Iraq is still occupied by the US, the sole reason being to plunder Iraq's natural resources while creating a wild west scene of war profiteering. Even tho' this is against international law, and contracts signed by proxy gov't during times of occupation aren't recognized by international law.

The US should get the f* out of Iraq, and there should be a UN inquiry into the entire war crime, from invasion right through the occupation, with the US subject to making reparations -- the perpetrators of this crime against humanity should be tried at the International Criminal Court at The Hague.

And the US, esp. Dems, should quit claiming that Iraq's natural wealth is theirs for the taking. It's sickening, is what it is.

[Arctic Dave]

8. Applause and cheers. n/t

[DrDan]

3. let see - how many schools in the U.S. would we have to close to raise this . . .

and those damned pesky bridges. Screw 'em.

More border security and port security. I am sure we can get away with another 5 years before funding this.

Lets get more Afghan army funded - it is, after all, the American way!!!!!!

[Solly Mack]

4. How much heroin would cover that?

[14thColony]

6. I spent a year there as a military training advisor to the Afghan army

...it won't help.

[formercia]

7. For 17 Billion, you could buy off the Taliban several times over

for crissakes.

the MIC gets 16.99 Billion of it and the Afghans get shit.