I've searched unsuccessfully for an accounting of what our military
costs are in excess of normal operating costs that have resulted from
our involvement in Iraq and Afghanistan. In other words, there is an
established cost and budget for the number of military personnel
involved, their training and their equipment and deployments that exists
as a baseline. What is the additional cost for the deployments to Iraq
and Afghanistan? Certainly more, but how *much* more? I am curious
because I think some of the claims made by some people are wrong and
misleading. Some make it seem that the costs would have been
non-existent. That's simply not so.

In the course of searching for the answer, I did come across some
interesting numbers though. Here are a few:

Hourly cost of War in Iraq since 2003: $365,297
Hourly cost of War in Afghanistan since 2001: $10.17 million
Total hourly cost of Wars Since 2001: $10.54 million

Now, let's compare that to some domestic spending just for FY 2014:

Hourly cost for Education (FY2014) $8.16 million
Hourly cost for Environment (FY2014) $3.23 million
Hourly cost for Food &
Nutrition Assistance programs (FY2014) $13 million
Hourly cost for Housing Assistance (FY2014) $4.76 million
Hourly cost for Medicaid and Children's
Health Insurance Program (FY2014) $32.02 million
Hourly cost for Homeland Security Since 9/11*: $6.82 million

Total hourly FY2014 cost for just these programs: $68 million

Not included are general DOD budgets and costs and other specific programs.

* Homeland Security hourly costs are in addition to regular DOD costs.

I'd like to know what part of the $10.54 million/hour for the Iraq and
Afghan Wars would have been spent anyway if there had been *no* wars.
It certainly would be less but it still costs money to maintain, equip
and train those personnel.

Source of info: National Priorities Project
http://nationalpriorities.org/cost-of/