Military personnel costs have soared since 9/11

theweek.com

In the years since the 9/11 attacks propelled the U.S. into war in Afghanistan — and the alleged threat of weapons of mass destruction in Iraq led the country to war there as well — it has become much more expensive for the U.S. to keep a soldier or sailor on active duty.

According to a joint research project by the Bipartisan Policy Center (BPC) and the American Enterprise Institute (AEI), the Defense Department spends 43 percent more, on average, every year on service members' compensation, after adjusting for inflation. In 2001, the study finds, total compensation costs, including salary, health care, retirement programs, commissaries, and other services were $88,000 per service member in today's dollars. By 2012, that figure had risen to $125,000.

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