U.S. to Fund Polish-Led Peacekeeping Force

Washington Post ^ | 07/29/03 | Vernon Loeb

[Pokey78]

Costs Expected to Be More Than $200 Million

The Pentagon has agreed to pay more than $200 million in airlift and support costs for a multinational peacekeeping division under Polish command that should be deployed to southern Iraq by the end of September, a senior defense official said.

Dov S. Zakheim, the Pentagon comptroller, said Friday that a letter of understanding signed last week with the Poles calls for the Defense Department to pay $30 million to $40 million in airlift costs for transporting most of the 9,000-member division to Iraq and about $200 million to cover meals, medical care and other support costs.

"It guarantees that within the next few months, this division will be on the ground," one senior defense official said.

[AntiGuv]

Oh well. I guess it really is just symbolic. I figured at least the "international force" would defray some of the occupation costs. Instead, let's just pay $200 million to put a few thousand Poles in that crappy little port we captured the first day of the war [I forget its crappy little name].

[icwhatudo]

I figured at least the "international force" would defray some of the occupation costs. Instead, let's just pay..

the Pentagon is not covering the cost of compensating troops, the largest expense, which more than a dozen participating countries in the division will bear.

He noted that the Spanish, who are contributing 1,300 troops to the division, are covering their own costs, and that the Poles had agreed to pay one third of the support and airlift costs for their 2,400 troops, or about $30 million.

[LADY J]

I'm wondering why everyone else is funding Iraq instead of using some of the billions they are finding there so they can fund themselves??

Did we 'adopt' them??

[Norse]

i think the point is to take the heat of our guys. i'll happily pay money in order to replace American Soldiers with other forces who can take their turn

[AntiGuv]

Well, that sounds much better than just the excerpted part above (I didn't click on the WP link). I guess it's also important to reinforce our foreign alliances even at some cost in the shorter term.

[gonzo]

"...the Poles had agreed to pay one third of the support and airlift costs for their 2,400 troops, or about $30 million..."

These numbers are remarkable for Poland, ic. Then again, the Poles know the difference between good-guys and bad-guys.

The last great Cavalry Charge on horseback was in Poland against German Panzers. Before Poland surrendered, they killed over 30,000 German soldiers............FRegards

[dfwgator]

Poland never surrendered to the Nazis.