Salary cost alone is in the neighborhood of 2.5 mil per day. That's before we add up all the operational costs to the military of being there.
I suspect when the US says 350 million donation that it's talking about a different pot of money than that from which pay and costs come from.
How much does it cost to steam an aircraft carrier across the ocean? Fly a cargo plane? Set up a military hospital?
but Americans are stingy...
yea right...
France is sending croissants!
I just sent the link to Rush.
The story does not mention salaries, so I'm assuming your salary value was self-invented. Your estimate of total salary, based on the number of military in area, would give them an average of $4545 per month. This is a grossly high average, unless one accepts that the preponderance of personnel are of Commissioned Officer level. The vast majority of all military in the area are mid to low enlisted, who earn less than $1800 per month.
In any case, a militry person's salary is owed, and paid, regardless of his assignment, and their assignments are, for the most part, for the good of the Service and defense of our Nation. Been retired for many years, but when active, I never charged nor received extra pay for performing missions and assignments outside my primary job code. And I'm comfortable thinking that the Pentagon did not submit to Congress for added salaries for Officers and Enlisted personnel performing more than one assigned task.
Does anyone know how much the Germans, French, Russians and Chinese (etc.) are contributing toward the tsunami recovery?