Afghanistan Weekly Reader: Closure of Pakistan Supply Routes Costs $100 Million per Month
Amid tensions with Afghanistan over NATO airstrikes that have caused civilian casualties, the U.S. is also facing tense negotiations with Pakistan over supply routes to Afghanistan. Ever since the November 2011 NATO airstrike that killed 24 Pakistani soldiers, Pakistan’s supply routes have been closed. The U.S. and Pakistan were reportedly close to a deal to reopen the routes several times, but the U.S. negotiators left Pakistan this Monday without an agreement.
Pentagon officials still hope a deal can be reached. In the meantime, the U.S. must rely on routes through Central Asian countries – routes that cost up to two-and-a-half times more. Defense Secretary Panetta estimates that the Pakistan route closure costs the U.S. a staggering $100 million per month.
From ASG
War Costs Will Continue After 2014
Afghanistan Study Group by Mary Kaszynski
The U.S. combat mission in Afghanistan may end in by 2014, but that doesn’t mean troops will be coming home. And it certainly doesn’t mean that war costs will end any time soon.
ARTICLES
6/10/12
Lawmakers unite in effort to end war in Afghanistan
Army Times by Lance M. Bacon
A bipartisan group of nine lawmakers has enlisted the help of an Army whistle-blower in their determined efforts to bring a swift end to the war in Afghanistan.
6/11/12
Pentagon probes Leonie’s taxes, treatment of Afghan workers
USA Today by Tom Vanden Brook
Pentagon criminal investigators have launched a full probe into the military’s top propaganda contractor in Afghanistan regarding taxes paid by its owners and treatment of its Afghan employees.
6/12/12
Military Will Soon Pay More For Former Soldiers Than Current Ones
U.S. News & World Report by John Bennett
The Pentagon soon will spend more on health care and other benefits for former military personnel than on the men and women fighting today’s conflicts, according to a new study.
OPINION
6/11/12
US legacy in Afghanistan: What 11 years of war has accomplished
CS Monitor by Scott Baldauf
If Americans correct past mistakes and build on achievements, they still have a chance to leave behind a country that can survive on its own. If past mistakes are repeated, the withdrawal could be a messy one indeed – and may prove an ignoble ending to one of the costlier ventures in modern American history.
6/12/12
Counterinsurgency doctrine fundamentally flawed at outset
Global Post by Jonathan Moore
COIN extends US military beyond its competence by making it try to build a cohesive nation in Afghanistan.
