{"id":46039,"date":"2018-02-07T02:31:40","date_gmt":"2018-02-07T02:31:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/uncategorized\/2018\/02\/07\/pentagon-afghan-war-costing-us-45-billion-per-year\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T09:18:55","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T09:18:55","slug":"pentagon-afghan-war-costing-us-45-billion-per-year","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/pentagon\/2018\/02\/07\/pentagon-afghan-war-costing-us-45-billion-per-year\/","title":{"rendered":"Pentagon: Afghan war costing US $45 billion per year"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

WASHINGTON \u2014 Forty-five billion dollars. That\u2019s how much the Pentagon says the Afghan war is costing American taxpayers, and with no end in sight<\/a> they may have to keep footing that bill<\/a> for years to come.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lawmakers, skeptical about the prospects of victory<\/a>, grilled the Trump administration Tuesday on the direction of the nation\u2019s longest-running war, now in its 17th year. The Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing comes after a wave of shocking militant attacks<\/a> in Kabul that killed more than 200 people.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Randall Schriver, the Defense Department\u2019s top Asia official, said the $45 billion total for the year includes $5 billion for Afghan forces and $13 billion for U.S. forces inside Afghanistan. Much of the rest is for logistical support. Some $780 million goes toward economic aid.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The costs now are still significantly lower than during the high point of the war in Afghanistan. From 2010 to 2012, when the U.S. had as many as 100,000 soldiers in the country, the price for American taxpayers surpassed $100 billion each year. There are currently around 16,000 U.S. troops in Afghanistan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Defense Secretary Jim Mattis listens during a hearing of the House Armed Services Committee on Capitol Hill, Tuesday, Feb. 6, 2018, in Washington. (Alex Brandon\/AP)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Both Republican and Democratic senators highlighted the scale of the continuing outlay from Washington. Six months ago, President Donald Trump unveiled his strategy for turning the tide in the war, setting no time limit on the U.S. military\u2019s involvement in the war-battered country, saying it would be based on conditions on the ground.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tens of billions are \u201cjust being thrown down a hatch in Afghanistan,\u201d said Republican Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky. \u201cWe\u2019re in an impossible situation. I see no hope for it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\t