The Obama Administration is in the process of preparing a set of benchmarks which will be used to gauge the progress of U.S. military and civilian operations in Afghanistan. Ordered by Congress, the benchmarks are due by September 24. In addition, Gen. Stanley McChrystal, commander of U.S. and NATO forces in Afghanistan, has just released an interim assessment of the situation in the region. It has been widely reported that as a result of this assessment, Gen. McChrystal may request that as many as 45,000 additional U.S. troops be sent to Afghanistan. 

The following are quick facts about the U.S. commitment to Afghanistan to date. We hope they are useful to you to you as you follow this issue.

U.S. Troop Levels in Afghanistan Fiscal Year Troops 2001 N/A 2002 5,200 2003 10,400 2004 15,200 2005 19,100 2006 20,400 2007 23,700 2008 30,100 2009 50,700*

* Current Troop Levels – There are roughly 62,000 U.S. troops currently in Afghanistan. This number is expected to grow to at least 68,000 by December. [Gates Says Additional Local Forces May Be Needed In Afghan War, Bloomberg News, September 1, 2009.] 

NOTE: The Defense Department reports troop levels involved in military operations in several ways. The figures shown here are taken from the Pentagon’s Boots on the Ground (BOG) reports to Congress. They reflect only personnel located in Afghanistan and do NOT include other personnel deployed as part of Operation Enduring Freedom, such as those providing logistical support in neighboring countries,

Source: Troop Levels in the Afghan and Iraq Wars, FY2001-FY2012: Cost and Other Potential Issues, Congressional Research Service Report R40682, July 2, 2009
http://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/natsec/R40682.pdf

Annual Funding for U.S. Combat Operations in Afghanistan Fiscal Year $ in Billions 2001 N/A 2002* 20.8 2003 14.7 2004 14.5 2005 20 2006 19 2007 36.9 2008 42.1 2009 60.2 TOTAL 228.2

NOTE: 2002 figure includes both FY 2001 and 2002 funding. The source gave only the total and did not break out funding for each year.

Source: The Cost of Iraq, Afghanistan, and Other Global War on Terror Operations Since 9/11, Congressional Research Service Report RL33110, May 15, 2009
http://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/natsec/RL33110.pdf

U.S. Military Fatalities in Afghanistan Year U.S. Fatalities 2001 12 2002 49 2003 48 2004 52 2005 99 2006 98 2007 117 2008 155 2009 183* TOTAL 813

*NOTE: As of September 1, 2009

Source: Icasualties at http://icasualties.org

NPP’s Cost of War Counter See NPP’s Afghanistan Cost of War Counter (http://www.costofwar.com/) and calculate the cost of the war to your state (and in many cases your city or town).

Additional Resources

Civilian Casualties the Human Rights Unit of United Nations Assistance Mission to Afghanistan publishes an Annual Report on the Protection of Civilians in Armed Conflict in Afghanistan, which is updated every six months. Their website is http://unama.unmissions.org/Default.aspx?tabid=1816

Additional casualty data, plus Background information on Afghanistan can be found in The Cost of War in Afghanistan, published jointly by NPP and the American Friends Service Committee. It can be found at: http://www.nationalpriorities.org/auxiliary/costofwar/cost_of_war_afghanistan.pdf

No explanation needed, and so appropriate.  Their action matches the looks they all wore during the campaign speeches.   I am soo glad I voted for Ron Paul, so don’t blame me!