Fact Sheet: Quick Facts About U.S. Military Operations in Afghanistan

Fact Sheet: Quick Facts About U.S. Military Operations in Afghanistan

Inside, you will find:

U.S. Troop Levels in Afghanistan historical data
Annual Funding for U.S. Combat Operations in Afghanistan
Figures of U.S. Military Fatalities in Afghanistan
Link to NPP's Cost of War counter
Additional Resources

The Obama Administration is in the process of preparing a set of benchmarks which will be used to gauge the progress of U.S. military and civilian operations in Afghanistan. Ordered by Congress, the benchmarks are due by September 24. In addition, Gen. Stanley McChrystal, commander of U.S. and NATO forces in Afghanistan, has just released an interim assessment of the situation in the region. It has been widely reported that as a result of this assessment, Gen. McChrystal may request that as many as 45,000 additional U.S. troops be sent to Afghanistan.

The following are quick facts about the U.S. commitment to Afghanistan to date. We hope they are useful to you to you as you follow this issue.

U.S. Troop Levels in Afghanistan
Fiscal Year	Troops
2001	N/A
2002	5,200
2003	10,400
2004	15,200
2005	19,100
2006	20,400
2007	23,700
2008	30,100
2009	50,700*

* Current Troop Levels - There are roughly 62,000 U.S. troops currently in Afghanistan. This number is expected to grow to at least 68,000 by December. [Gates Says Additional Local Forces May Be Needed In Afghan War, Bloomberg News, September 1, 2009.]

NOTE: The Defense Department reports troop levels involved in military operations in several ways. The figures shown here are taken from the Pentagon's Boots on the Ground (BOG) reports to Congress. They reflect only personnel located in Afghanistan and do NOT include other personnel deployed as part of Operation Enduring Freedom, such as those providing logistical support in neighboring countries,

Source: Troop Levels in the Afghan and Iraq Wars, FY2001-FY2012: Cost and Other Potential Issues,Congressional Research Service Report R40682, July 2, 2009
http://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/natsec/R40682.pdf [1]

Annual Funding for U.S. Combat Operations in Afghanistan
Fiscal Year	$ in Billions
2001	N/A
2002*	20.8
2003	14.7
2004	14.5
2005	20
2006	19
2007	36.9
2008	42.1
2009	60.2
TOTAL	228.2

NOTE: 2002 figure includes both FY 2001 and 2002 funding. The source gave only the total and did not break out funding for each year.

Source: The Cost of Iraq, Afghanistan, and Other Global War on Terror Operations Since 9/11,
Congressional Research Service Report RL33110, May 15, 2009
http://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/natsec/RL33110.pdf [2]

U.S. Military Fatalities in Afghanistan
Year	U.S. Fatalities
2001	12
2002	49
2003	48
2004	52
2005	99
2006	98
2007	117
2008	155
2009	239*
TOTAL	813

*NOTE: As of October 6, 2009

Source: Icasualties at http://icasualties.org [3]

NPP's Cost of War Counter See NPP's Afghanistan Cost of War Counter (http://www.costofwar.com/ [4]) and calculate the cost of the war to your state (and in many cases your city or town).

Additional Resources

Civilian Casualties the Human Rights Unit of United Nations Assistance Mission to Afghanistan publishes an Annual Report on the Protection of Civilians in Armed Conflict in Afghanistan, which is updated every six months. Their website is http://unama.unmissions.org/Default.aspx?tabid=1816 [5]

Additional casualty data, plus Background information on Afghanistan can be found in The Cost of War in Afghanistan, published jointly by NPP and the American Friends Service Committee. It can be found at: www.nationalpriorities.org/auxiliary/costofwar/cost_of_war_afghanistan.pdf [6]