True Cost of War Act of 2011 - Directs the President, with contributions from the Secretary of Defense (DOD), the Secretary of State, and the Secretary of Veterans Affairs (VA), to report to Congress an estimate of the long-term costs of Operation New Dawn (the successor contingency operation to Operation Iraqi Freedom) and Operation Enduring Freedom under three specified scenarios based on the number of U.S. troops deployed in such operations, as well as contingency operation and withdrawal plans. Requires the President, in preparing such report, to make estimates and projections through at least FY2020, and to take into account specified cost factors, including: (1) the deployment of U.S. military personnel, contractors, and private security firms; (2) the number of veterans in need of medical or mental health care due to injuries and illnesses; (3) pending veterans' disability compensation claims; (4) total casualties and injuries; (5) current and future operational expenses and related costs; and (6) the amount of money borrowed to pay for such operations, the sources of that money, and the interest on the money borrowed.
[Congressional Bills 112th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 974 Introduced in House (IH)]
112th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 974
To direct the President to submit to Congress a report on the long-term
costs of Operation Iraqi Freedom, Operation New Dawn, and Operation
Enduring Freedom in Iraq and Afghanistan, and for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
March 9, 2011
Mr. Braley of Iowa (for himself and Mr. Jones) introduced the following
bill; which was referred to the Committee on Armed Services, and in
addition to the Committees on Foreign Affairs and Veterans' Affairs,
for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case
for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of
the committee concerned
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To direct the President to submit to Congress a report on the long-term
costs of Operation Iraqi Freedom, Operation New Dawn, and Operation
Enduring Freedom in Iraq and Afghanistan, and for other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``True Cost of War Act of 2011''.
SEC. 2. REPORT ON LONG-TERM COSTS OF OPERATION IRAQI FREEDOM AND
OPERATION ENDURING FREEDOM.
(a) Findings.--Congress makes the following findings:
(1) The United States has been engaged in military
operations in Afghanistan since October 2001 as Operation
Enduring Freedom and in military operations in Iraq since March
2003 as Operation Iraqi Freedom and its successor contingency
operation, Operation New Dawn.
(2) According to the Congressional Research Service,
through fiscal year 2010, Congress has appropriated
$1,087,000,000,000 for the Department of Defense, for the State
Department, and for medical costs paid by the Department of
Veterans Affairs. This amount includes $751,000,000,000 related
to operations in Iraq and $336,000,000,000 related to
operations in Afghanistan.
(3) Over 90 percent of the funds appropriated for the
Department of Defense for operations in Iraq and Afghanistan
have been provided as supplemental or additional appropriations
and designated as an emergency funding requirement.
(4) The Congressional Budget Office and the Congressional
Research Service have stated that future costs for operations
in Iraq and Afghanistan are difficult to estimate because the
Department of Defense provides little information on costs
incurred to date and does not report outlays or actual
expenditure for operations in Iraq and Afghanistan (because war
and baseline funds are mixed in the same accounts) and because
of a lack of information from the Department of Defense on many
of the key factors that determine costs, including personnel
levels and the pace of operations.
(5) Over 2,000,000 members of the United States Armed
Forces have served in Afghanistan and Iraq since the beginning
of the conflicts.
(6) Over 4,400 members of the Armed Forces and Department
of Defense civilian personnel have been killed in Operation
Iraqi Freedom, and over 1,400 members of the Armed Forces and
Department of Defense civilian personnel have been killed in
Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan.
(7) Over 1,620 members of the Armed Forces have suffered
amputations as a result of wounds or other injuries incurred in
Afghanistan or Iraq.
(8) More than 243,685 veterans of military service in Iraq
and Afghanistan have been treated for mental health conditions,
more than 66,900 of these veterans have been diagnosed with
post-traumatic stress disorder, and approximately 178,876 of
these veterans have a confirmed traumatic brain injury
diagnosis.
(9) Approximately 46 percent of veterans of military
service in Iraq and Afghanistan have sought treatment at a
Department of Veterans Affairs hospital or medical clinic.
(10) The Independent Review Group on Rehabilitative Care
and Administrative Processes at Walter Reed Army Medical Center
and National Naval Medical Center identified traumatic brain
injury, post-traumatic stress disorder, increased survival of
severe burns, and traumatic amputations as the four signature
wounds of the current conflicts, and the Independent Review
Group report states that the recovery process ``can take months
or years and must accommodate recurring or delayed
manifestations of symptoms, extended rehabilitation and all the
life complications that emerge over time from such trauma''.
(b) Report Requirement.--Not later than 90 days after the date of
the enactment of this Act, the President, with contributions from the
Secretary of Defense, the Secretary of State, and the Secretary of
Veterans Affairs, shall submit to Congress a report containing an
estimate of the long-term costs of Operation New Dawn (the successor
contingency operation to Operation Iraqi Freedom) and Operation
Enduring Freedom for each the following scenarios:
(1) The scenario in which the number of members of the
Armed Forces deployed in support of Operation New Dawn and
Operation Enduring Freedom is reduced from roughly 190,000 in
2011 to 150,000 in 2012, 65,000 in 2013, and 30,000 by the
beginning of 2014, and remains at 30,000 through 2020.
(2) The scenario in which the number of members of the
Armed Forces deployed in support of Operation New Dawn and
Operation Enduring Freedom rises to approximately 235,000 in
2011, is reduced to 230,000 in 2012, 195,000 in 2013, 135,000
in 2014, 80,000 in 2015, 60,000 in 2016, and remains at 60,000
through 2020.
(3) An alternative scenario, determined by the President
and based on current contingency operation and withdrawal
plans, which takes into account expected force levels and the
expected length of time that members of the Armed Forces will
be deployed in support of Operation New Dawn and Operation
Enduring Freedom.
(c) Estimates To Be Used in Preparation of Report.--In preparing
the report required by subsection (b), the President shall make
estimates and projections through at least fiscal year 2020, adjust any
dollar amounts appropriately for inflation, and take into account and
specify each of the following:
(1) The total number of members of the Armed Forces
expected to be deployed in support of Operation New Dawn and
Operation Enduring Freedom, including--
(A) the number of members of the Armed Forces
actually deployed in Southwest Asia in support of
Operation New Dawn and Operation Enduring Freedom;
(B) the number of members of reserve components of
the Armed Forces called or ordered to active duty in
the United States for the purpose of training for
eventual deployment in Southwest Asia, backfilling for
deployed troops, or supporting other Department of
Defense missions directly or indirectly related to
Operation New Dawn or Operation Enduring Freedom; and
(C) the break-down of deployments of members of the
regular and reserve components and activation of
members of the reserve components.
(2) The number of members of the Armed Forces, including
members of the reserve components, who have previously served
in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom, Operation New Dawn, or
Operation Enduring Freedom and who are expected to serve
multiple deployments.
(3) The number of contractors and private military security
firms that have been used and are expected to be used during
the course of Operation Iraqi Freedom, Operation New Dawn, and
Operation Enduring Freedom.
(4) The number of veterans currently suffering and expected
to suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder, traumatic brain
injury, or other mental injuries.
(5) The number of veterans currently in need of and
expected to be in need of prosthetic care and treatment because
of amputations incurred during service in support of Operation
Iraqi Freedom, Operation New Dawn, or Operation Enduring
Freedom.
(6) The current number of pending Department of Veterans
Affairs claims from veterans of military service in Iraq and
Afghanistan, and the total number of such veterans expected to
seek disability compensation from the Department of Veterans
Affairs.
(7) The total number of members of the Armed Forces who
have been killed or wounded in Iraq or Afghanistan, including
noncombat casualties, the total number of members expected to
suffer injuries in Iraq and Afghanistan, and the total number
of members expected to be killed in Iraq and Afghanistan,
including noncombat casualties.
(8) The amount of funds previously appropriated for the
Department of Defense, the Department of State, and the
Department of Veterans Affairs for costs related to Operation
Iraqi Freedom, Operation New Dawn, and Operation Enduring
Freedom, including an account of the amount of funding from
regular Department of Defense, Department of State, and
Department of Veterans Affairs budgets that has gone and will
go to costs associated with such operations.
(9) Current and future operational expenditures associated
with Operation New Dawn and Operation Enduring Freedom,
including--
(A) funding for combat operations;
(B) deploying, transporting, feeding, and housing
members of the Armed Forces (including fuel costs);
(C) activation and deployment of members of the
reserve components of the Armed Forces;
(D) equipping and training of Iraqi and Afghani
forces;
(E) purchasing, upgrading, and repairing weapons,
munitions, and other equipment consumed or used in
Operation Iraqi Freedom, Operation New Dawn, or
Operation Enduring Freedom; and
(F) payments to other countries for logistical
assistance in support of such operations.
(10) Past, current, and future costs of entering into
contracts with private military security firms and other
contractors for the provision of goods and services associated
with Operation Iraqi Freedom, Operation New Dawn, and Operation
Enduring Freedom.
(11) Average annual cost for each member of the Armed
Forces deployed in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom,
Operation New Dawn, or Operation Enduring Freedom, including
room and board, equipment and body armor, transportation of
troops and equipment (including fuel costs), and operational
costs.
(12) Current and future cost of combat-related special pays
and benefits, including reenlistment bonuses.
(13) Current and future cost of calling or ordering members
of the reserve components to active duty in support of
Operation New Dawn or Operation Enduring Freedom.
(14) Current and future cost for reconstruction, embassy
operations and construction, and foreign aid programs for Iraq
and Afghanistan.
(15) Current and future cost of bases and other
infrastructure to support members of the Armed Forces serving
in Iraq and Afghanistan.
(16) Current and future cost of providing health care for
veterans who served in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom,
Operation New Dawn, or Operation Enduring Freedom, including--
(A) the cost of mental health treatment for
veterans suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder
and traumatic brain injury, and other mental problems
as a result of such service; and
(B) the cost of lifetime prosthetics care and
treatment for veterans suffering from amputations as a
result of such service.
(17) Current and future cost of providing Department of
Veterans Affairs disability benefits for the lifetime of
veterans who incur disabilities while serving in support of
Operation Iraqi Freedom, Operation New Dawn, or Operation
Enduring Freedom.
(18) Current and future cost of providing survivors'
benefits to survivors of members of the Armed Forces killed
while serving in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom, Operation
New Dawn, or Operation Enduring Freedom.
(19) Cost of bringing members of the Armed Forces and
equipment back to the United States upon the conclusion of
Operation New Dawn and Operation Enduring Freedom, including
the cost of demobilization, transportation costs (including
fuel costs), providing transition services for members of the
Armed Forces transitioning from active duty to veteran status,
transporting equipment, weapons, and munitions (including fuel
costs), and an estimate of the value of equipment that will be
left behind.
(20) Cost to restore the military and military equipment,
including the equipment of the reserve components, to full
strength after the conclusion of Operation New Dawn or
Operation Enduring Freedom.
(21) Amount of money borrowed to pay for Operation Iraqi
Freedom, Operation New Dawn, and Operation Enduring Freedom,
and the sources of that money.
(22) Interest on money borrowed, including interest for
money already borrowed and anticipated interest payments on
future borrowing, for Operation Iraqi Freedom, Operation New
Dawn, and Operation Enduring Freedom.
<all>
Introduced in House
Introduced in House
Referred to the Committee on Armed Services, and in addition to the Committees on Foreign Affairs, and Veterans' Affairs, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
Referred to the Committee on Armed Services, and in addition to the Committees on Foreign Affairs, and Veterans' Affairs, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
Referred to the Committee on Armed Services, and in addition to the Committees on Foreign Affairs, and Veterans' Affairs, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
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