Pentagon Spending Has Totaled Over $14 Trillion Since 9/11. One-Third To One-Half Went To Private Military Contractors

Antiwar.com: Pentagon Paid the Arms Industry at Least $4.4 Trillion Since 9/11  

The top five profiteers were Lockheed Martin, Boeing, General Dynamics, Raytheon, and Northrop Grumman  

Brown University’s Costs of War Project released a new report Monday detailing post-9/11 spending by the Pentagon. 

The study found that of the over $14 trillion spent by the Pentagon since the start of the war in Afghanistan, one-third to one-half went to private military contractors. 

The report, authored by William Hartung of the Center for International Policy, said $4.4 trillion of the total spending went towards weapons procurement and research and development, a category that directly benefits corporate military contractors. 

Private contractors are also paid through other funds, like operations and maintenance, but those numbers are harder to determine.  

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WNU Editor: Brown University’s Costs of War Project report is here .... Profits of War: Corporate Beneficiaries of the Post-9/11 Pentagon Spending Surge (Brown University).

Report: Cost Of U.S. War On Terror Will Soon Exceed $6 Trillion

CC BY 2.0 / 9/11 Photos / 9/11 WTC Photo

Defense News: Price tag of the ‘war on terror’ will top $6 trillion soon

WASHINGTON — The price tag of the ongoing “war on terror” in the Middle East will likely top $6 trillion next year, and will reach $7 trillion if the conflicts continue into the early 2020s, according to a new report out Wednesday.

The annual Costs of War project report, from the Watson Institute for International and Public Affairs at Brown University, puts the full taxpayer burden of fighting in Iraq, Afghanistan and Syria over the last 17 years at several times higher than official Defense Department estimates, because it includes increases in Homeland Security and Veterans Affairs spending, as well as new military equipment and personnel.

“Because the nation has tended to focus its attention only on direct military spending, we have often discounted the larger budgetary costs of the post-9/11 wars, and therefore underestimated their greater budgetary and economic significance,” the new report states.

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WNU Editor: The report is here .... Costs of War

More News On Reports That The U.S. War On Terror Will Soon Exceed $6 Trillion

America's 'war on terror' has cost the US nearly $6 trillion and killed roughly half a million people, and there's no end in sight -- Business Insider
The $6 trillion price tag for the "War on Terror" -- Axios
Cost of US War on Terror Will Soon Exceed $6 Trillion - Report -- Sputnik

Report: The War On Terror Has Killed Nearly 500,000 In Afghanistan, Iraq, And Pakistan

VOA: US War on Terror Kills Nearly 500,000 in Afghanistan, Iraq, Pakistan

ISLAMABAD — A study released Thursday says the U.S.-led war on terrorism has killed about 507,000 people in Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan during its 17 years and is showing a 22 percent increase in deaths in the past two years.

The death toll includes U.S. and allied troops, civilians in the war zones, local military and police forces, as well as militants, who have died from war violence, according to the report by Brown University's Costs of War Project.

The report said the number of indirect deaths was several times larger than deaths caused by direct war violence, bringing the total death count to well over 1 million people.

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Update: US 'war on terror' has killed 500,000 people: study (AFP)

WNU Editor: The war in Afghanistan is heating up.

Path of Blood Is A Documentary Video That Reveals The War On Terror From The Perspective Of The Terrorists

Daily Mail: The Islamic terrorists whose savagery was only matched by their stupidity: One Suicide bomber ran out of petrol on the way to his attack while another couldn't stop laughing during his martyrdom video

* Path of Blood reveals the war on terror from the perspective of the terrorists
* Chronicles Al Qaeda's bloody action in Saudi Arabia between 2003 and 2009
* Footage was shot by the terrorists themselves and seized by Saudi forces
* Shows hostages being executed and terrorists themselves gunned down
* Also showed a suicide bomber running out of petrol on the way to his target
* Terrorists revealed to be very stupid in how they act and what they say

Located in the far east of Saudi Arabia, the Abqaiq refinery is the largest in the world, and can produce nearly seven million barrels of oil per day.

It is a vital part of the country's infrastructure, responsible for processing half of Saudi's oil exports.

Unsurprisingly, it makes an extremely tempting target for terrorists, and it was on February 24, 2006 that three vehicles driven by members of Al Qaeda were heading towards the refinery.

Their aim was to destroy the oil plant and strike a crippling blow to the stability of Saudi Arabia, as part of their self-declared 'war against the Christians and Jews to stop their pillage of Muslim riches and part of the campaign to chase them out of the Arabian peninsula'.

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WNU Editor: It looks like an eye-opening video.

Is Pakistan Necessary To Have Onside To Win The War On Terror?

Pakistani Foreign Minister Khawaja Asif briefs the media at the end of a three-day conference in Islamabad, Pakistan, Sep. 7, 2017. Asif says the war on terror “cannot be won by excluding or confronting” Islamabad.

VOA: Pakistan Says US Can’t Win War on Terror Without It

ISLAMABAD — Pakistan has vowed to stay engaged with the United States to help fight terrorism in neighboring Afghanistan, but said the war “cannot be won by excluding or confronting” Islamabad.

Foreign Minister Khawaja Asif made the remark Thursday at the end of a three-day conference of Pakistani ambassadors to key world capitals for formulating a comprehensive response to the new U.S. policy on Afghanistan.

U.S. President Donald Trump criticized Pakistan when he announced his long-awaited Afghan war policy last month. He accused Islamabad of harboring terrorists linked to the Taliban and Haqqani network, which are undermining U.S.-led efforts to stabilize Afghanistan and staging attacks on American forces.

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WNU Editor: Pakistan has been helpful .... especially after 9/11 .... but I cannot say that they have been helpful in the past few years. But to win the war against Islamic inspired terrorism is going to take a long time, and it will need to involve every country that has a large Muslim population. This includes countries like Saudi Arabia who promote Wahhabism, Iran and its support of groups like Hezbollah, and to countries like Pakistan that have a history of harboring many of these terror groups and their leaders. So yes .... Pakistan will be necessary .... as well as most Muslim dominated countries.

National Security Adviser McMaster Believes Saying 'Radical Islamic Terrorism' Isn't Helpful

The Guardian: Trump national security adviser wants to avoid term 'radical Islamic terrorism', sources say

HR McMaster felt phrase castigates ‘an entire religion’ and indicated ‘he’s not on board’ – a contrast with the president and many key staff members

Donald Trump’s new national security adviser has told staff at the White House he does not wish to use the term “radical Islamic terrorism” to describe the terrorist threat the US faces, according to multiple sources.

HR McMaster, a respected army lieutenant general, struck notes more consistent with traditional counterterrorism analysts and espoused consensus foreign-policy views during a meeting he held with his new National Security Council staff on Thursday.

Some in the meeting left with questions about whether McMaster’s evident disagreements with Trump and his key aides portend further turbulence for the key national security and foreign policy decision-making forum.

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WNU Editor: H.R. McMaster's remarks are following this Pentagon statement .... Pentagon: Out with 'ISIL,' in with 'ISIS' (AP). What's my take .... Egyptian President Sisi has no problem in saying the term "Radical Islam" and pointing out its extremist elements .... Egypt's Sisi turns Islam on the Islamists (CBS).

More News On National Security Adviser McMaster's Remarks That 'Radical Islamic Terrorism' Isn't Helpful

National security adviser: Term 'radical Islamic terrorism' isn't helpful -- CNN
HR McMaster Breaks With Administration on Views of Islam -- New York Times
Trump’s National Security Adviser: Avoid Phrase Radical Islamic Terrorism -- Slate
Report: New national security adviser breaks with Trump on 'radical Islamic terrorism' -- The Hill
Trump's new national security adviser: Saying 'radical Islamic terrorism' is counterproductive -- Business Insider
In Break With Trump, National Security Adviser Pans the Use of ‘Radical Islamic Terrorism’ -- NYMag

The White House Has Given U.S. Special Forces The Authority To Hunt Foreign Fighters Globally

Army and Air Force troops train at a remote landing strip in Djibouti. Air Force photo

Washington Post: Obama administration expands elite military unit’s powers to hunt foreign fighters globally

The Obama administration is giving the elite Joint Special Operations Command — the organization that helped kill Osama bin Laden in a 2011 raid by Navy SEALs — expanded power to track, plan and potentially launch attacks on terrorist cells around the globe, a move driven by concerns of a dispersed terrorist threat as Islamic State militants are driven from strongholds in Iraq and Syria, U.S. officials said.

The missions could occur well beyond the battlefields of places like Iraq, Syria and Libya where Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC) has carried out clandestine operations in the past. When finalized, it will elevate JSOC from being a highly-valued strike tool used by regional military commands to leading a new multiagency intelligence and action force. Known as the “Counter-External Operations Task Force,” the group will be designed to take JSOC’s targeting model — honed over the last 15 years of conflict — and export it globally to go after terrorist networks plotting attacks against the West.

The creation of a new JSOC entity this late in the Obama’s tenure is the “codification” of best practices in targeting terrorists outside of conventional conflict zones, according to the officials who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss administration deliberations. It is unclear, however, if the administration of President-elect Donald Trump will keep this and other structures set up by Obama. They include guidelines for counterterrorism operations such as approval by several agencies before a drone strike and “near certainty” that no civilians will be killed. This series of presidential orders is known as the “playbook.”

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WNU Editor: It is interesting that this is happening only now .... near the end of the Obama administration.

Is Now The Time To Re-Evaluate The U.S. War On Terror?

In the battle against the Taliban, U.S. Marines, seen here in the Korengal Valley, often face the ire of villagers who complain about mortar strikes on their homes. Eros Hoagland / Redux

Darius Shahtahmasebi, Anti-Media: The US War on Terror Has Cost $5 Trillion and Increased Terrorism by 6,500%

On September 11, 2001, one of the most tragic events in recent American history took place. Close to 3,000 civilians lost their lives in horrific terror attacks that took place on American soil. Fifteen years later, it is time to ask the question: have our counterterror efforts helped to reduce the amount of terrorism in the world? Or at the very least, have they tried to make the world safer?

According to a report released by Dr. Neta Crawford, professor of political science at Brown University, spending by the United States Departments of Defense, State, Homeland Security, and Veteran Affairs since 9/11 is now close to $5 trillion USD. Before we have the chance to ask how a country that has racked up over $19.3 trillion USD in debt can spend $5 trillion USD on war, the focus of this article is to ask: What has all of this spending achieved?

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WNU Editor: I certainly do not see the light at the end of this tunnel. Time for a re-think.

The Pentagon Has A Plan To Win The Information War Against Terror Groups

Patrick Tucker, Defense One: The Pentagon is Developing A New Suite of Tools to Fight the Lone Wolf Problem

As the counter-terrorism battle moves online, DARPA seeks to track how ISIS spreads its ideas — and how well US ripostes are working.

Multiple motivations may have been at play in the Orlando killer’s attack at the Pulse night club in Orlando this week. While it is possible to overstate the influence of the Islamic State, it is impossible to ignore ISIS messaging as at least one contributing factor. On Tuesday President Obama said that the killer “appears to have absorbed” messages from ISIS, whose propaganda, “videos, their postings are pervasive and more easily accessible than we want.” If the online world is part of the battlefield, a new Pentagon program is building tools to evaluate how the battle is going.

“From phony news on Web sites to terrorist propaganda on social media to recruitment videos posted by extremists, conflict in the information domain is becoming a ubiquitous addition to traditional battlespaces. Given the pace of growth in social media and other networked communications, this bustling domain of words and images—once relegated to the sidelines of strategic planning—is poised to become ever more critical to national security and military success around the globe,” reads the program description for the Quantitative Crisis Response, or QCR, from the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, or DARPA.

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WNU Editor: I posted this link before, but this is an interesting read .... Wolf dens, not lone wolves, the norm in U.S. Islamic State plots (Reuters)

The War On Terror Has Cost America $6 Trillion Since 9/11. Unfortunately, This 'War' Has Created 6500% More Terrorism

Kit O’Connell, Antimedia: The War on Terror Has Created 6500% More Terrorism

Washington, D.C. — An analysis of terror attacks since 2002 suggests U.S. efforts to combat terrorism — i.e., the “War on Terror” — have led to a dramatic increase in death and suffering from terrorism.

Published this year on Sept. 11, Paul Gottinger, a staff reporter for Reader Supported News, analyzed incidents of terrorism from George Bush declaring the war on terror in the aftermath of 9/11 through the present, and found a staggering 6,500 percent increase in terrorism. Gottinger, who used data provided by the State Department in his analysis, found that casualties have increased by 4,500 percent.

Countries occupied by or being bombed the U.S. military seem to fare worst of all:

WNU Editor: And these numbers keep on rising with no end in sight.

President Obama: 2 Qaeda Hostages Were Accidentally Killed In A U.S. Drone Strike In Pakistan In January

New York Times: 2 Qaeda Hostages Were Accidentally Killed in U.S. Strike, White House Says

WASHINGTON — The White House acknowledged on Thursday that two hostages held by Al Qaeda were accidentally killed in an American government counterterrorism operation in January and said President Obama “takes full responsibility.”

In an extraordinary statement, the White House said intelligence agencies had confirmed that Warren Weinstein, an American held by Al Qaeda since 2011, and Giovanni Lo Porto, an Italian held since 2012, died during the operation.

“The operation targeted an al-Qaeda-associated compound, where we had no reason to believe either hostage was present, located in the border region of Afghanistan and Pakistan,” the statement said. “No words can fully express our regret over this tragedy.”

WNU Editor: I am suspicious with the timing of this news. It happened in January but they are reporting it now with the Clinton Foundation story just breaking out this morning. Makes you wonder on what is really happening. Wag the dog .... or a warning to the Clintons to get out of the Presidential race? As to what is my take .... I am astounded that the main stream media is doing something that I never thought they would do .... go after the Clintons and report (gasp) the news.

More News On 2 Qaeda Hostages Who Were Accidentally Killed In A January U.S. Drone Strike

American, Italian hostages inadvertently killed in U.S. operation: Obama -- Reuters
US admits al Qaeda operation killed an American and an Italian hostage -- France 24
American, Italian hostages killed in US drone strike -- AP
Obama: 'I profoundly regret' deaths of U.S., Italian hostages -- Reuters
U.S. drone strike killed al-Qaeda hostages, including American -- Washington Post
White House: American, Italian hostages killed in US counterterror operation -- FOX News
U.S. drone strike accidentally killed 2 hostages -- CNN
Obama: ‘I Take Full Responsibility’ For US Operation That Killed Innocent Hostages Held By Al Qaeda -- ABC News
White House: U.S. drone strikes killed two al Qaeda hostages -- CBS News
Obama takes 'full responsibility' for deaths of two hostages -- The Hill
US admits two hostages killed in al-Qaeda raid -- BBC
US drone strike killed American and Italian citizens held captive by al-Qaida -- The Guardian
Warren Weinstein Begged Obama to Save Him Four Years Before U.S. Drone Killed Him -- Daily Beast
SoCal Man Among Al-Qaida Operatives Killed In US Strike -- CBS
Family of American al-Qaeda hostage 'devastated' by his death -- USA Today
Wife criticizes U.S. approach to hostages' families -- CBS News

Why America's War On Terror Will Never End

A U.S. special forces soldier demonstrates how to detain a suspect during Flintlock 2014, a U.S.-led international training mission for African militaries, in Diffa, March 4, 2014. Credit: Reuters/Joe Penney

Inside America's Shadow War On Terror—and Why It Will Never End -- James Kitfield, National Journal

The American war in Afghanistan will end. Perpetual U.S. war against jihadis will not. A rare look at the secret forces nowhere near finished with the fight.

The muezzin's call to predawn prayers had not yet woken the seaside Somali town of Barawe when a lone figure stepped out of a two-story villa near the water's edge. In the darkness of a walled compound, he smoked a cigarette, the glow of ash rhythmically illuminating his face. It was an effect that was heightened by the night-vision goggles focused on him. When the man stepped back inside, the commander of Navy SEAL Team Six, his own face hidden under black grease, directed his commandos to take up their positions and storm the villa. The date was Oct. 5, 2013, and inside was a Kenyan named Abdikadir Mohamed Abdikadir, or Ikrimah—the leader of al-Shabaab suspected of masterminding the gruesome killing of non-Muslims at Nairobi's Westgate Mall.

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My Comment: A rather long post .... but it's message is clear .... the "war on terror" will never end.

Is The War On Terror Over?

Can Obama Safely Embrace Islamists? -- Michael Hirsh, National Journal

In an article in the current National Journal called "The Post Al Qaida Era," I write that the Obama administration is taking a new view of Islamist radicalism. The president realizes he has no choice but to cultivate the Muslim Brotherhood and other relatively "moderate" Islamist groups emerging as lead political players out of the Arab Spring in Egypt, Tunisia and elsewhere. (The Muslim Brotherhood officially renounced violence decades ago, leading then-dissident radicals such as Ayman al-Zawahiri to join al Qaida.)

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Update: 'The War on Terror Is Over' -- Daniel Halper, Weekly Standard

My Comment: So the war on terror is over .... hmmmm .... I learn something new everyday.

The 9/11 Era By The Numbers

(Click on Image to Enlarge)

The Dead, The Dollars, The Drones: 9/11 Era By The Numbers -- The Danger

Ever since the Twin Towers fell, the United States has been at war. The costs of that decade of conflict have been unimaginably high: trillions of dollars spent, hundreds of thousands of lives lost. The numbers are almost too big to grasp, let alone quantify. The graphics below are our incomplete attempt to do so.

These figures are also a way of showing the radical transformation the U.S. military has undergone during the 9/11 era. Drones, once an afterthought in tactical plans, have become a central component, flying millions of hours in combat. Special operations forces have added tens of thousands to their ranks. Bomb-resistant armored vehicles, absent from the American arsenal in 2001, are now a primary means of battlefield transportation — even as Afghanistan’s militants find new ways to render them irrelevant.

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My Comment: And these costs show no sign of decreasing .... let alone stopping.

Commanders Are Pondering On What To Do With Captured Terrorists

Navy Vice Adm. William McRaven testifies during his confirmation hearing before the Senate Armed Services Committee on Capitol Hill June 28, 2011, in Washington. (Getty Images)

Catch and Release? Top Commanders Ponder How to Detain Militants -- Wall Street Journal

With the Obama administration hoping not to send any more prisoners to the military prison at Guantanamo Bay, what to do with captured terrorism suspects remains a difficult problem for the U.S. military.

Vice Adm. William McRaven, the former head of the former head of the U.S. hunter-killer teams, told lawmakers Tuesday that his old command always came up with options of where to hold prisoners before any operation was approved by President Barack Obama.

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Update: Adm. McRaven: Obama administration has no plan for captured terrorists -- Washington Post

My Comment: How did the war against Al Qaeda terrorists (and affiliated terrorists) become so wrapped up in legality and politics? Oh ... I forgot .... the Democrats used it as an issue that riled up their base, but once in power forgot what they had promised to their base (i.e. closing Guantanamo) .... and (now) do not know (or do not care) on what to do.

No wonder Bin laden was killed .... if the above reports are true, it appears that they had no idea on where to put him if he was captured alive.

Losing The 'War On Terror' -- A Commentary

From The L.A. Times:

By dropping the controversial phrase, the U.S. may be redefining the contest with radical Islam.

Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton let slip last week that the Obama administration has finally abandoned the phrase "war on terror." Its absence had been noted by commentators. There was no directive, Clinton said, "it's just not being used."

It may seem a trivial thing, but the change in rhetoric marks a significant turning point in the ideological contest with radical Islam. That is because the war on terror has always been a conflict more rhetorical than real. There is, of course, a very real, very bloody military component in the struggle against extremist forces in the Muslim world, though one can argue whether the U.S. and allied engagements in Iraq, Afghanistan and beyond are an integral part of that struggle, a distraction from it or, worse, evidence of its subversion and failure. But to the extent that the war on terror has been posited, from the start, as a war of ideology -- a clash of civilizations -- it is a rhetorical war, one fought more constructively with words and ideas than with guns and bombs.

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My Comment: I prefer calling it the War on Islamic terror ..... but that is just me.

Obama’s War On Terror May Resemble Bush’s In Some Areas

Leon F. Panetta opened a loophole in the Obama administration’s interrogation restrictions while testifying before a Senate panel this month. Michael Temchine for The New York Times

From The New York Times:

WASHINGTON — Even as it pulls back from harsh interrogations and other sharply debated aspects of George W. Bush’s “war on terrorism,” the Obama administration is quietly signaling continued support for other major elements of its predecessor’s approach to fighting Al Qaeda.

In little-noticed confirmation testimony recently, Obama nominees endorsed continuing the C.I.A.’s program of transferring prisoners to other countries without legal rights, and indefinitely detaining terrorism suspects without trials even if they were arrested far from a war zone.

The administration has also embraced the Bush legal team’s arguments that a lawsuit by former C.I.A. detainees should be shut down based on the “state secrets” doctrine. It has also left the door open to resuming military commission trials.

And earlier this month, after a British court cited pressure by the United States in declining to release information about the alleged torture of a detainee in American custody, the Obama administration issued a statement thanking the British government “for its continued commitment to protect sensitive national security information.”

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My Comment: It is still too early to know what will be President Obama's policies on the War Against Terrorism. On the one hand they do want to have a distinct policy that is opposite from President Bush, on the other hand President bush's policy was succesful in preventing another terrorist attack on U.S. soil.

I expect a middle ground will be found on what they to do .... but make no mistake about it .... after a few months when their policies have become operational .... they will own this war on terror, and they will be responsible if things go wrong.

Obama Redefines War On Terror

Change of command: President Obama met members of the US Armed Forces on a visit to the Pentagon Wednesday. Obama is shifting the focus of the war on terror to Afghanistan. (Manuel Balce Ceneta/AP)

From Christian Science Monitor:

The president focuses on Al Qaeda and on repairing America’s image in the Muslim world.

President Obama’s executive orders closing the Guantánamo detention facility and outlawing torture were interpreted in some circles as closing the door on the Bush administration’s global war on terror.

But Mr. Obama – who used the word “war” in his inaugural address to describe the fight with Islamic extremists who would do America harm – is not so much ending the war on terror as he is redefining it and narrowing its focus.

The president is signaling a desire to home in on the Al Qaeda organization and its leadership, as well as on those Taliban leaders who have created a haven in Afghanistan and Pakistan from which to plot against US interests, say counterterrorism experts.

At the same time, Obama aims to cleave Muslim populations from extremist forces by emphasizing his and America’s common interests with the Muslim people, and by acting fast on issues that matter to them.

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My Comment: War on terror????? .... Never existed. Jihad ... what is that? But Al Qaeda, the Taliban .... now that we can chew up.

Sigh .... I heard all of this in the nineties. Look at the man or men who cause terror .... but ignore the philosophical and religious context behind it.

This redefinition and playing with language will only serve to muddle and distort the fight against militant Islam.

U.K. Foreign Minister Miliband Says 'War On Terror' Was Wrong

Photo: Foreign Secretary David Miliband said Thursday the notion of a "war on terror" was "misleading and mistaken", in an outspoken critique of a key policy of outgoing US President George W. Bush. (AFP/File/Leon Neal)

From Yahoo News/AFP:

LONDON (AFP) – Foreign Secretary David Miliband said Thursday the notion of a "war on terror" was "misleading and mistaken", in an outspoken critique of a key policy of outgoing US President George W. Bush.

Writing in the Guardian, Miliband said the phrase gave the idea of a unified enemy where none existed, and also encouraged a primarily military response to problems that top generals admitted the West could not "kill its way out of".

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Bush's $1 Trillion War on Terrorism: Even Costlier Than Expected

U.S. soldiers arrive at the Kandahar Air Field in southern Afghanistan in March
John Moore / Getty

From Time Magazine:

The news that President Bush's war on terrorism soon will have cost the U.S. taxpayers $1 trillion — and counting — is unlikely to spread much Christmas cheer in these tough economic times. A trio of recent reports — none by the Bush Administration — suggests that sometime early in the Obama presidency, spending on the wars started since 9/11 will pass the trillion-dollar mark. Even after adjusting for inflation, that's four times more than America spent fighting World War I, and more than 10 times the cost of 1991's Persian Gulf War (90% of which was paid for by U.S. allies). The war on terrorism looks set to surpass the costs the Korean and Vietnam wars combined, topped only by World War II's price tag of $3.5 trillion.

The cost of sending a single soldier to fight for a year in Afghanistan or Iraq is about $775,000 — three times more than in other recent wars, says a new report from the private but authoritative Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments (CSBA). A large chunk of the increase is a result of the Administration's cramming new military hardware into the emergency budget bills it has been using to pay for the wars.

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My Comment: The "War on Terror" is going to be with us for a very long time, but the cost for not fighting it will be higher.