CONGRESSIONAL BUDGET OFFICE
U.S. Congress
Washington, DC 20515
1.
CBO’s analysis focuses only on the costs associated with deploying ground forces in Iraq. It does not
encompass the costs that will be incurred for deploying additional naval forces to the Persian Gulf.
www.cbo.gov
February 1, 2007
Honorable John M. Spratt Jr.
Chairman
Committee on the Budget
U.S. House of Representatives
Washington, DC 20515
Dear Mr. Chairman:
At your request, the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) has estimated the
cost of the President’s plan to increase the number of military personnel
deployed to Iraq under different scenarios related to the duration of that
increase. In summary, CBO estimates that costs would range from $9 billion
to $13 billion for a four-month deployment and from $20 billion to $27 billion
for a 12-month deployment, depending upon the total number of troops
deployed and including additional costs that would be incurred during the
build-up and ramp-down periods.1
The analysis depends critically on three key factors:
• How many additional troops will be deployed?
• How long will the deployments last?
• What are the additional costs associated with incremental troop
deployments?
Number of Additional Troops
The President has announced an increase in Army and Marine Corps forces to
be deployed to the Iraq theater of operations. Over the next several months,
that increase will be accomplished largely by deploying troops sooner than was
previously planned and by lengthening the deployment of forces already in the
Iraq theater. The increase in force levels has already begun and is expected to
reach its peak of about 20,000 additional combat personnel in May.
Honorable John M. Spratt Jr.
Page 2
Thus far, the Department of Defense (DoD) has identified only combat units
for deployment. However, U.S. military operations also require substantial
support forces, including personnel to staff headquarters, serve as military
police, and provide communications, contracting, engineering, intelligence,
medical, and other