US Military expands construction in Afghanistan

We sadly expect that President Obama will go along with General McCrystal's request for additional troops for Afghanistan. It's not official yet, but there are other indications that a large US military force will be in Afghanistan for years to come.

Nick Turse offers some evidence of increases in Pentagon spending on construction and the channeling of money in the country. His main point is that the Pentagon is increasing, not decreasing, US military facilities and infrastucture in Afghanistan. The expenditures for the military continue to exceed Washington's funding for civilian-related projects. "In fiscal year 2009," Turse writes, "the civilian US Agency for International Development awarded $20 million in contracts in Afghanistan, while the US Army alone awarded $2.2 billion - $834 million just for construction projects." Over the past three years, the Pentagon has spent about $2.7 billion on construction projects in Afghanistan."

You can see Nick Turse's full article at:

http://www.tomdispatch.com/post/175135/nick_turse_in_afghanistan_the_pentagon-digs-in

Here are some points from Turse's article

• There are 20,000 troops, coalition forces, and contractors at Bagram Air Base, up from 5,000 just two years ago.
• The military plans "to build a $30 million passenger terminal and...cargo facility" near Bagram
• New dormitories are being built at Bagram
• Outside of the Pentagon, no one knows "how many US camps, forward operations bases, combat out posts, patrol bases and other fortified sites" are in use or under construction
• Private US contracts are getting lucrative contracts
• Runways and helipods are being built by Marine and Air Force personnel in Helmond Province (in the southern part of Afghanistan)

Turse draws an implication from his evidence: "...if you just focus on the contruction activity and the flow of money into Afghanistan, what you see is a war that...isn't going to end any time soon."

Bob Sheak