The Cost of Iraq, Afghanistan, and Other Global War on Terror Operations Since 9/11

Amy Belasco
Specialist in U.S. Defense Policy and Budget

With the July 27, 2010 enactment of the FY2010 Supplemental Appropriations Act (H.R. 4899/P.L. 111-201) Congress has approved a total of $1.121 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 $1.121 trillion total, CRS estimates that Iraq will receive about $751 billion (67%), OEF $336 billion (30%) and enhanced base security about $29 billion (3%), with about $5 billion that CRS cannot allocate (1/2%). About 94% of the funds are for DOD, 5% for foreign aid programs and embassy operations, and 1% for medical care for veterans. 

Comparing June of 2009 with June of 2010, average monthly DOD spending for Iraq fell by 25% from $7.2 billion to $5.4 billion while troop strength dropped by 46%. For Afghanistan, average DOD spending grew from $3.5 billion to $5.7 billion, a 63% change while troop strength grew by 70%. Troop levels are expected to fall to 50,000 with the withdrawal in Iraq and to rise to 98,000 with the additional deployments to Afghanistan by September 2010. 

On July 27, 2010, Congress passed H.R. 4899/P.L. 111-212, the FY2010 Supplemental request and provided an additional $34.4 billion in war funding 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 and to ramp up foreign aid levels in both Iraq and Afghanistan.. 

With passage of the FY2010 supplemental, cumulative war funding totals $1.12 trillion including $751 billion for Iraq, $336 billion for Afghanistan, and $29 billion for enhanced security. In FY2010, Afghanistan receives about 60% of the total and Iraq 40%, a reversal of the previous year. 

The $171 billion received in FY2010 is the same as the amount requested for 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 the FY2011 war request is approved, 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. Based on previous trends and recent figures, DOD's FY2011 request may be overstated. 

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.


Date of Report: September 2, 2010
Number of Pages: 57
Order Number: RL33110
Price: $29.95

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