Figures show its costs the U.S. government about $14,000 a year to equip and train an Afghan soldier, reports Yochi J. Dreazen over at The Atlantic.
Sounds pricy-until you consider the average cost of keeping a U.S. soldier in Afghanistan for a year: about $850,000, according to Pentagon comptroller Robert Hale. In light of that, care and keeping of Afghan troops sounds like a bargain.
Bottom line: waging war is expensive. For those who wonder why the Defense Department needs all the funds it asks for, there's a peek behind the curtain for you.
