Quote:Among The Costs Of War: $20B A Year In A.C.?

The amount the U.S. military spends annually on air conditioning in Iraq and Afghanistan: $20.2 billion, according to a former Pentagon official.

That's more than NASA's budget. It's more than BP has paid so far for damage during the Gulf oil spill. It's what the G-8 has pledged to help foster new democracies in Egypt and Tunisia.

"When you consider the cost to deliver the fuel to some of the most isolated places in the world — escorting, command and control, medevac support — when you throw all that infrastructure in, wee're talking over $20 billion," Steven Anderson tells weekends on All Things Considered guest host Rachel Martin. Anderson is a retired brigadier general who served as Gen. David Patreaus' chief logistician in Iraq. He's now in the private sector, selling technologies branded as "energy-efficient" to the Department of Defense.

Why does it cost so much?

To power an air conditioner at a remote outpost in land-locked Afghanistan, a gallon of fuel has to be shipped into Karachi, Pakistan, then driven 800 miles over 18 days to Afghanistan on roads that are sometimes little more than "improved goat trails," Anderson says. "And you've got risks that are associated with moving the fuel almost every mile of the way."

Anderson calculates more than 1,000 troops have died in fuel convoys, which remain prime targets for attack. Free-standing tents equipped with air conditioners in 125-degree heat require a lot of fuel. Anderson says by making those structures more efficient, the military could save lives and dollars.

Source: http://www.npr.org/2011/06/25/137414737/...nditioning

this is without knowing how much the uk army uses, but the us seem far too reliant on air condition, why do they need it if people living in these countries don't?

the number of 1000 being killed from the transfer of fuel would be an unforgivable figure if it was for just the use of ac systems, but i assume this is also all the vehicle fuel as well.

i just still find it hard to justify anything happening out there, with my naive understanding of the politics behind it, the troops are being put through hell for no real reason, far too much money is being put into it, innocent lives, both there's and ours are being taken and they're terrorising the whole country..........to prevent terrorism?

The us could take the money from this and bring back nasa by giving them a bigger budget, or help out the economy in other ways then pumping extra money into the pockets of the already rich.

and as for the UK, wee are making so many cuts in so many sectors, taking money and jobs and ruining the lives of people who where working for very little anyway, making these people unemployed is what is known as BAD for our economy, these are the people who buy goods from local stores, and once made unemployed, will be people claiming benefits on the unemployment benefits which will only push the economy deeper into the crapper.

ooops, seem to have gone into a little rant here lol, the uk government just annoy me the way they spend money.

but this is my simple view on the wars, they are pointless, stuff going on in that country with gaddaffi in it makes sense, as he is a evil man terrorising his own country, but from what i know, none of this was happening in the other countries

I believe the Taliban weren't particularly good to the people of their country, but then again, with any country undergoing civil war, it's unlikely that either side treats the other particularly nicely.

I probably don't know enough info to really be the judge here, but meh, it's a lot of money going into something most would probably consider trivial.
I've heard people asking why the army doesn't try to consider better insulation of tents or perhaps use solar power.  They have their issues of course, but doesn't necessarily mean that the current methodology is the best.

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(This post was last modified: 29/06/2011 03:58 PM by Joom.)

(This post was last modified: 29/06/2011 04:24 PM by Slushba132.)

I don't think it's really a matter of whether they should have air conditioning or not.  But anyway, armies are generally trained to survive conditions that ordinary people aren't expected to live with.

Rather, it's whether or not the method is efficient and worth the cost.  Comfort is okay, but there's a cost too.  Should they also be sending thousands of hookers to give the solidiers extra comfort?