“I have been visiting our wounded troops at Bethesda and Walter Reed hospitals almost every week since the beginning of the War. And what demoralizes them is going to war with not enough troops and equipment to make the transition to peace; the devastation caused by IEDs; being deployed to Iraq when their homes have been ravaged by hurricanes; being on their second or third deployment and leaving their families behind without a network of support.”
— Rep. John Murtha, 11/17/2005
Number of U.S. troops killed in Iraq as of May 1, 2003: 139 [DoD, 5/1/07]
Number of U.S. troops killed in Iraq: 3,351 [DoD, 5/1/07]
Number of U.S. troops wounded in action in Iraq: 25,090 [DoD, 5/1/07]
Number of wounded in action and unable to return to duty: 11,215 [DoD, 5/1/07]
Number of troops killed so far this month (April): 104 [icasualties.org, 4/30/07]
Number of troops killed in December 2006: 112 – the highest since November 2004 [icasualties.org, 4/30/07]
Percent of U.S. troops killed by Improvised Explosive Devices in March 2007: nearly 60 [Brookings Institution, 4/26/07]
Number of insurgents in Iraq in November 2003: 5,000 [Brookings Institution, 4/26/07]
Number of insurgents in Iraq in March 2007: 70,000 (Sunni only) [Brookings Institution, 4/26/07]
Number of multi-fatality bombings in May 2004: 9 [Brookings Institution, 4/26/07]
Number of multi-family bombings so far this month (April): 41 [Brookings Institution, 4/26/07]
Estimated number of people killed by multiple fatality bombings since May 2003: 12,108 [Brookings Institution, 4/26/07]
Number of civilian casualties in Iraq since U.S.-led invasion: estimates range from 54,000 – 76,500 [Brookings Institution, 4/26/07]
Average number of daily attacks by insurgents in July 2003: 16 [Brookings Institution, 4/26/07]
Average number of daily attacks by insurgents between November 2006 and February 2007: 149 [Brookings Institution, 4/26/07]
Cost of the War to American Taxpayers
“The annual cost of the Iraq war has more than doubled between 2003 and 2006, according to a new U.S. government report. With 20,000 more troops being prepared to go to Iraq, the costs will rise even more.”
— “Annual Iraq war cost has doubled since ’03,” UPI, 1/10/07
Amount appropriated for the Iraq War so far: $379 billion [House Appropriations Committee]
Approximate amount U.S. currently spending in Iraq per month: $8 billion [CRS, 9/22/06]
Amount in President Bush’s request for new DOD spending for the wars in Iraq & Afghanistan: $235 billion (including a FY 2007 supplemental of $93 billion and a FY 2008 supplemental of $142 billion) [Bush budget]
Strain on the Military
“The thousands of troops that President Bush is expected to order to Iraq will join the fight largely without the protection of the latest armored vehicles that withstand bomb blasts far better than the Humvees in wide use, military officers said.”
— “Better armor lacking for new troops in Iraq,” Baltimore Sun, 1/10/07
Number of U.S. troops currently in Iraq (approximate): 146,000 [Brookings Institution, 4/26/07]
Projected number of U.S. troops in Iraq when the “surge” is completed (by summer 2007): 160,000 [Palm Beach Post, 4/16/07]
Number of soldiers in the Army that have served more than one tour in Iraq: 170,000 [Christian Science Monitor, 1/9/07]
Percent of the Army’s available active duty combat brigades that have served at least a 12-month tour in Iraq or Afghanistan: 100 [Washington Post, 9/14/06]
Number of active duty or reserve brigades in the U.S. considered “combat ready”: 0 [Christian Science Monitor, 9/22/06]
Number of active duty military who have been deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan since 2001: 1.1 million [DoD, 3/31/07]
Number of National Guard and Reservists who have been deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan since 2001: 421,981 [DoD, 3/31/07]
Number of National Guard and Reservists deployed more than once since 2001: 84,198 [DoD, 8/31/06]
Percent of troops currently deployed who are in the National Guard and Reserves: 22 [DoD, 3/31/07]
Number of months longer Army troops in Iraq will have to serve as a result of a blanket tour extension order issued by the Pentagon: at least 3 months [Pentagon News Briefing, 4/11/07]
Length of average mobilization for Reserve and National Guard members: 18 months [Washington Post, 11/5/06]
Percent of National Guard or Reserve units so poorly equipped they are rated “not ready”: 88 [Washington Post, 3/2/07]
Amount of essential equipment the Army National Guard has on-hand here at home: 30% [GAO Testimony, 9/21/06]
Amount Army needs to repair or replace equipment destroyed/deteriorated in Iraq: $66.1 billion [CBS/AP, 9/25/06]
Amount of time Army needs to catch up on backlog of equipment repairs generated from Iraq war: 3 years [ABC News, 2/10/07]
Reconstruction Problems and Lack of Accountability
“A recent Defense inspector general investigation into interagency purchases placed through the Treasury Department’s FedSource program uncovered major problems, including inadequate competition. Every award examined by the IG was flawed. Other problems included missing contracting agreements, insufficient price documentation and a lack of market research. Defense auditors also identified 21 potential violations of the Anti-Deficiency Act, which bars spending in excess of available resources.”
— “Defense IG finds major flaws in contracts issued via Treasury,” National Journal, 1/3/07
Amount Iraqi government says is needed over the next 4 years to rebuild country’s infrastructure: $100 billion [Reuters, 10/31/06]
Amount of Iraqi reconstruction funds unaccounted for by the Coalition Provisional Authority: $8.8 billion [Boston Globe, 4/6/06]
Tons of cash shipped to Iraq in December 2003 and June 2004 under the authority of the U.S.-led Coalition Provisional Authority: 363 [Reuters, 2/12/07]
Amount of the $11.8 million worth of U.S.-financed electrical generators at Baghdad airport that are no longer working: $8.6 million [NYT, 4/29/07]
Number of hours per day of electricity in Baghdad prior to the war: 16-24 [Brookings Institution, 4/26/07]
Number of hours per day of electricity in Baghdad, April 2007: 5.8 [Brookings Institution, 4/26/07]
Oil production – barrels per day – prior to the war: 2.5 million [Brookings Institution, 4/26/07]
Oil production – barrels per day – April 2007: 2.1 million [Brookings Institution, 4/26/07]
Unemployment rate in Iraq (December 2006): estimates range from 25% to 40% [Brookings Institution, 4/26/07]
Average rate of inflation in Iraq in 2006: 50% [DoD, 3/07]
Amount the U.S. has allocated to private contractors for reconstruction and rebuilding efforts in Iraq since the beginning of the war. $50 billion [60 Minutes, 2/12/06]
Amount of taxpayer dollars squandered by the government in reconstruction contracts according to U.S. auditors: $10 billion [CNN, 2/15/07]
Amount of taxpayer money spent by Halliburton that the Defense Contract Audit Agency has deemed either excessive or insufficiently documented: $1.47 billion [Boston Globe, 6/28/05]
White House office that helped facilitate a no-bid Iraq reconstruction contract worth $7 billion to Halliburton: Vice President Cheney [GAO, June 2004]
Amount Halliburton has received in “cost plus” contracts for Iraq reconstruction: $25.7 billion [House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, Democratic Staff, 3/07]
Amount the “virtual pandemic” of corruption costs Iraq each year according to the Special Inspector General of Iraq Reconstruction: more than $5 billion [Associated Press, 4/30/07]
Number of weapons bought by the U.S. intended for Iraqi troops that are now missing: 14,030 [SIGIR, 10/29/06]
Public Opinion
“Only 12% of Americans back a troop increase, compared with 52% who prefer a timetable for withdrawal, a recent Los Angeles Times/Bloomberg poll found.”
— “Democrats will soon get a say on Iraq,” Los Angeles Times, 12/27/06
Percent of Americans who are disapprove of the way President Bush is handling the situation in Iraq: 66% [Wall Street Journal/NBC, 4/25/07]
Percent of Americans who favor setting a timetable that provides for the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq in 2008: 64% [CBS News/New York Times, 4/26/07]
Percent of Americans who believe that Congress, not the President, should have the last say when it comes to setting troop levels in Iraq: 57% [CBS News/New York Times, 4/26/07]
Terrorism & Weapons of Mass Destruction
“A stark assessment of terrorism trends by American intelligence agencies has found that the American invasion and occupation of Iraq has helped spawn a new generation of Islamic radicalism and that the overall terrorist threat has grown since the Sept. 11 attacks.”
— “Spy Agencies Say Iraq War Worsens Terrorism Threat,” New York Times, 9/24/06
Days since 9/11 attacks that Osama bin Laden has remained free: 2,058 [4/30/07]
Estimated minimum number of nuclear weapons likely produced by North Korea during the Bush Administration: 7 [Reuters, 10/26/06]
Percent decrease in funding for the Cooperative Threat Reduction Program to contain loose nuclear material under the President’s Fiscal Year 2007 budget: 10.4 [Center for American Progress, 5/3/06]
