Linda Bilmes

But the replacement costs are higher.

So, for example, the tomahawks that we're firing now

cost about two million, but replacing them costs three and a half million.

The Patriot missiles that are in the inventory are valued at one to two million, but the newer interceptors cost four million, and so on.

So the 11.3 billion is much closer to 15 or 16 billion.

And everyone who has looked at this number seriously has a much bigger number.

Right.

And in addition to underestimating it for that reason,

The reported costs also don't include the full repair and maintenance costs or the full costs of keeping the carrier strike groups at sea or the full costs of the fact that the troops have been deployed on the carrier strike groups long beyond their tours of duty and that kind of thing.

Well, I mean, a carrier strike group, which are, as the president calls them, flotillas.

I mean, this is a huge range of ships and aircraft and submarines and supply ships and all kinds of things.

Keeping them there, I mean, that costs $10,000.

million dollars a day when you're not at war and costs more than that during war.

So you have that as well as the cost of combat pay and so forth, 50,000 people who are involved before we sent in Marines and so forth.

And then this, you know, very, very significant cost of all the munitions that have been used up.

I mean, for example, on Friday, an Iranian drone severely damaged a Boeing E3 airborne surveillance system.

And that alone cost $700 million.

Oh, my God.

So, you know, there's these huge costs.

You know, we've lost several planes through friendly fire, and then keeping all the aircraft and the depreciation and so on for all the aircraft that are involved, and then all the munitions.