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WASHINGTON — Defense Secretary Robert Gates says military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan would cost almost $136 billion for the 2009 budget year that began Oct. 1 if they continue at their current pace.
Gates told top lawmakers in a New Year’s Eve letter that the Pentagon would need nearly $70 billion more to supplement the $66 billion approved last year. “This estimate is my personal assessment and does not reflect the position of the Bush administration or the incoming Obama administration,” Gates said.
The estimate would cover Pentagon operations in Iraq and Afghanistan, as well as other elements of the global war on terrorism.
