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Pentagon needs more money for Iraq

By Sridhar Krishnaswami

WASHINGTON, APRIL 22. Lawmakers on Capitol Hill are hearing vague messages from the military brass at the Pentagon that `more' money may be needed for the operations in Iraq and Afghanistan starting this September.

The Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Gen. Richard Myers, told a Congressional Committee that officials at the Department of Defence were now studying the issue including the possibility of money being shifted around from purchase programmes when the new Fiscal Year starts on October 1. "When the Service Chiefs last talked about this, there was, I think, a $ 4 billion shortfall. We thought we could get through all of August. We have to figure out how to do September," Gen. Myers told the Armed Services Committee of the House of Representatives.

Law makers are expecting to have the defence bill ready by October 1,but the White House version in the bill has no money for operations in Iraq and Afghanistan; but the hint is that the Pentagon could use money from the authorisation until a fresh separate funding for the war is provided. In fact the Chair of the House Armed Services Committee has said that he is planning to attach a $ 20 billion for the war efforts for the Fiscal 2004 year which will end September 2005.

The White House has already made it known that it would propose a separate bill after this November 2 elections, for up to $ 50 billions for the wars.

But the The war in Iraq and Afghanistan is currently costing about $ 5 billions a month with much of the money being taken up by the operations in Iraq.

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