Colonel Gadhafi Proving to Be Expensive for the U.S.

Military intervention in Libya could jeopardize the plans laid out by the Pentagon, announced just a month ago, to significantly reduce the U.S. military budget. According to the experts of the Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments in Washington, the cost of only the first phase of the operation, involving the destruction of air defense forces, could reach $800 million, and the control of the no-fly zone will cost between $30 million and $100 million a week. “Despite the fact that other countries keep joining the coalition, the United States continues to pick up the bulk of the cost,”* said the Center’s senior fellow, Todd Harrison. He added, “The U.S. costs could easily pass the $1 billion mark on this operation.”

In the first few hours after the start of targeted operations in Libya, 112 sea-based Tomahawk cruise missiles were fired. Twelve additional missiles were launched from U.S. Navy submarines last Sunday. The cost of each of these missiles, according to official figures, can reach up to $1.5 million, so that only the first missile attack experts have estimated to cost $186 million.

In addition to cruise missiles, F-15 and F-16 fighter jets were used to attack the Libyan government troops. The cost of one hour of flight for this type of aircraft, given the cost of fuel and the subsequent maintenance costs, comes out to around $10,000. Even more expensive was the use of the three B-2 Stealth Bombers, based in Whiteman Air Force Base in Missouri, which had to fly the length of about 20,000 kilometers in just a few days’ time. Each bomber has 45 900-kilogram bombs for its ammunition allowance, which are equipped with guidance system JDAMS worth up to $70,000, so that one attack of a B-2 costs taxpayers $3.15 million. According to Commander of the operation, General Carter Ham, just last Sunday, coalition forces carried out a total of 60 sorties, and the first half of Monday the number exceeded 80.

An influential member of the U.S. Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, Richard Lugar, confirmed the expert evaluations of the Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments, “Almost all of our congressional days are spent on budget deficits, outrageous problems,” he said during a broadcast on the CBS channel, “Yet, at the same time, all of this passes, which is a very expensive operation.”

*Editor’s Note: This quote, while accurately translated, could not be verified.