I 

113TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 1238 

To direct the President to submit to Congress a report on the long-term 

costs of Operation Iraqi Freedom, Operation New Dawn, and Operation 

Enduring Freedom in Iraq and Afghanistan, and for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

MARCH 18, 2013 

Mr. BRALEY of Iowa (for himself and Mr. JONES) introduced the following 

bill; which was referred to the Committee on Armed Services, and in addition to the Committees on Foreign Affairs and Veterans’ Affairs, for 

a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for 

consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned 

A BILL 

To direct the President to submit to Congress a report 

on the long-term costs of Operation Iraqi Freedom, Operation New Dawn, and Operation Enduring Freedom 

in Iraq and Afghanistan, and for other purposes. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘True Cost of War Act 

5 of 2013’’. 


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1 SEC. 2. REPORT ON LONG-TERM COSTS OF OPERATION 

2 IRAQI FREEDOM AND OPERATION ENDURING 

3 FREEDOM. 

4 (a) FINDINGS.—Congress makes the following find5 ings: 

6 (1) The United States has been engaged in 

7 military operations in Afghanistan since October 

8 2001 as Operation Enduring Freedom and in mili9 tary operations in Iraq since March 2003 as Oper10 ation Iraqi Freedom and its successor contingency 

11 operation, Operation New Dawn. 

12 (2) According to the Congressional Research 

13 Service, through fiscal year 2013, Congress has ap14 propriated $1,500,000,000,000 for the Department 

15 of Defense, for the State Department, and for med16 ical costs paid by the Department of Veterans Af17 fairs. This amount includes $821,000,000,000 re18 lated to operations in Iraq and $645,000,000,000 

19 related to operations in Afghanistan. 

20 (3) Over 90 percent of the funds appropriated 

21 for the Department of Defense for operations in 

22 Iraq and Afghanistan have been provided as supple23 mental or additional appropriations and designated 

24 as an emergency funding requirement. 

25 (4) The Congressional Budget Office and the 

26 Congressional Research Service have stated that fuVerDate Mar 15 2010 23:06 Mar 22, 2013 Jkt 029200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H1238.IH H1238

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1 ture costs for operations in Iraq and Afghanistan 

2 are difficult to estimate because the Department of 

3 Defense provides little information on costs incurred 

4 to date and actual expenditure for operations in Iraq 

5 and Afghanistan (because war and baseline funds 

6 are mixed in the same accounts) and because of a 

7 lack of information from the Department of Defense 

8 on many of the key factors that determine costs, in9 cluding personnel levels and the pace of operations. 

10 (5) Over 2,400,000 members of the United 

11 States Armed Forces have served in Afghanistan 

12 and Iraq since the beginning of the conflicts. 

13 (6) Over 4,400 members of the Armed Forces 

14 and Department of Defense civilian personnel have 

15 been killed in Operation Iraqi Freedom, and over 

16 2,100 members of the Armed Forces and Depart17 ment of Defense civilian personnel have been killed 

18 in Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan. 

19 (7) Over 1,715 members of the Armed Forces 

20 have suffered amputations as a result of wounds or 

21 other injuries incurred in Afghanistan or Iraq. 

22 (8) More than 250,000 veterans of military 

23 service in Iraq and Afghanistan have been treated 

24 for mental health conditions, more than 100,000 of 

25 these veterans have been diagnosed with post-trauVerDate Mar 15 2010 23:06 Mar 22, 2013 Jkt 029200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H1238.IH H1238

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1 matic stress disorder, and approximately 253,330 of 

2 these veterans have a confirmed traumatic brain in3 jury diagnosis. 

4 (9) Approximately 54 percent of veterans of 

5 military service in Iraq and Afghanistan have sought 

6 treatment at a Department of Veterans Affairs hos7 pital or medical clinic. 

8 (10) The Independent Review Group on Reha9 bilitative Care and Administrative Processes at Wal10 ter Reed Army Medical Center and National Naval 

11 Medical Center identified traumatic brain injury, 

12 post-traumatic stress disorder, increased survival of 

13 severe burns, and traumatic amputations as the four 

14 signature wounds of the current conflicts, and the 

15 Independent Review Group report states that the re16 covery process ‘‘can take months or years and must 

17 accommodate recurring or delayed manifestations of 

18 symptoms, extended rehabilitation and all the life 

19 complications that emerge over time from such trau20 ma’’. 

21 (b) REPORT REQUIREMENT.—Not later than 90 days 

22 after the date of the enactment of this Act, the President, 

23 with contributions from the Secretary of Defense, the Sec24 retary of State, and the Secretary of Veterans Affairs, 

25 shall submit to Congress a report containing an estimate 


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1 of previous costs of Operation New Dawn (the successor 

2 contingency operation to Operation Iraqi Freedom) and 

3 the long-term costs of Operation Enduring Freedom for 

4 a scenario, determined by the President and based on cur5 rent contingency operation and withdrawal plans, that 

6 takes into account expected force levels and the expected 

7 length of time that members of the Armed Forces will be 

8 deployed in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. 

9 (c) ESTIMATES TO BE USED IN PREPARATION OF

10 REPORT.—In preparing the report required by subsection 

11 (b), the President shall make estimates and projections 

12 through at least fiscal year 2023, adjust any dollar 

13 amounts appropriately for inflation, and take into account 

14 and specify each of the following: 

15 (1) The total number of members of the Armed 

16 Forces expected to be deployed in support of Oper17 ation Enduring Freedom, including— 

18 (A) the number of members of the Armed 

19 Forces actually deployed in Southwest Asia in 

20 support of Operation Enduring Freedom; 

21 (B) the number of members of reserve 

22 components of the Armed Forces called or or23 dered to active duty in the United States for 

24 the purpose of training for eventual deployment 

25 in Southwest Asia, backfilling for deployed 


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1 troops, or supporting other Department of De2 fense missions directly or indirectly related to 

3 Operation Enduring Freedom; and 

4 (C) the break-down of deployments of 

5 members of the regular and reserve components 

6 and activation of members of the reserve com7 ponents. 

8 (2) The number of members of the Armed 

9 Forces, including members of the reserve compo10 nents, who have previously served in support of Op11 eration Iraqi Freedom, Operation New Dawn, or Op12 eration Enduring Freedom and who are expected to 

13 serve multiple deployments. 

14 (3) The number of contractors and private mili15 tary security firms that have been used and are ex16 pected to be used during the course of Operation 

17 Iraqi Freedom, Operation New Dawn, and Oper18 ation Enduring Freedom. 

19 (4) The number of veterans currently suffering 

20 and expected to suffer from post-traumatic stress 

21 disorder, traumatic brain injury, or other mental in22 juries. 

23 (5) The number of veterans currently in need of 

24 and expected to be in need of prosthetic care and 

25 treatment because of amputations incurred during 


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1 service in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom, Op2 eration New Dawn, or Operation Enduring Free3 dom. 

4 (6) The current number of pending Department 

5 of Veterans Affairs claims from veterans of military 

6 service in Iraq and Afghanistan, and the total num7 ber of such veterans expected to seek disability com8 pensation from the Department of Veterans Affairs. 

9 (7) The total number of members of the Armed 

10 Forces who have been killed or wounded in Iraq or 

11 Afghanistan, including noncombat casualties, the 

12 total number of members expected to suffer injuries 

13 in Afghanistan, and the total number of members 

14 expected to be killed in Afghanistan, including non15 combat casualties. 

16 (8) The amount of funds previously appro17 priated for the Department of Defense, the Depart18 ment of State, and the Department of Veterans Af19 fairs for costs related to Operation Iraqi Freedom, 

20 Operation New Dawn, and Operation Enduring 

21 Freedom, including an account of the amount of 

22 funding from regular Department of Defense, De23 partment of State, and Department of Veterans Af24 fairs budgets that has gone and will go to costs asso25 ciated with such operations. 


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1 (9) Previous, current, and future operational 

2 expenditures associated with Operation Enduring 

3 Freedom and, when applicable, Operation Iraqi 

4 Freedom and Operation New Dawn, including— 

5 (A) funding for combat operations; 

6 (B) deploying, transporting, feeding, and 

7 housing members of the Armed Forces (includ8 ing fuel costs); 

9 (C) activation and deployment of members 

10 of the reserve components of the Armed Forces; 

11 (D) equipping and training of Iraqi and 

12 Afghani forces; 

13 (E) purchasing, upgrading, and repairing 

14 weapons, munitions, and other equipment con15 sumed or used in Operation Iraqi Freedom, Op16 eration New Dawn, or Operation Enduring 

17 Freedom; and 

18 (F) payments to other countries for 

19 logistical assistance in support of such oper20 ations. 

21 (10) Past, current, and future costs of entering 

22 into contracts with private military security firms 

23 and other contractors for the provision of goods and 

24 services associated with Operation Iraqi Freedom, 


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1 Operation New Dawn, and Operation Enduring 

2 Freedom. 

3 (11) Average annual cost for each member of 

4 the Armed Forces deployed in support of Operation 

5 Enduring Freedom, including room and board, 

6 equipment and body armor, transportation of troops 

7 and equipment (including fuel costs), and oper8 ational costs. 

9 (12) Current and future cost of combat-related 

10 special pays and benefits, including reenlistment bo11 nuses. 

12 (13) Current and future cost of calling or or13 dering members of the reserve components to active 

14 duty in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. 

15 (14) Current and future cost for reconstruction, 

16 embassy operations and construction, and foreign 

17 aid programs for Iraq and Afghanistan. 

18 (15) Current and future cost of bases and other 

19 infrastructure to support members of the Armed 

20 Forces serving in Afghanistan. 

21 (16) Current and future cost of providing 

22 health care for veterans who served in support of 

23 Operation Iraqi Freedom, Operation New Dawn, or 

24 Operation Enduring Freedom, including— 


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1 (A) the cost of mental health treatment for 

2 veterans suffering from post-traumatic stress 

3 disorder and traumatic brain injury, and other 

4 mental problems as a result of such service; and 

5 (B) the cost of lifetime prosthetics care 

6 and treatment for veterans suffering from am7 putations as a result of such service. 

8 (17) Current and future cost of providing De9 partment of Veterans Affairs disability benefits for 

10 the lifetime of veterans who incur disabilities while 

11 serving in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom, Op12 eration New Dawn, or Operation Enduring Free13 dom. 

14 (18) Current and future cost of providing sur15 vivors’ benefits to survivors of members of the 

16 Armed Forces killed while serving in support of Op17 eration Iraqi Freedom, Operation New Dawn, or Op18 eration Enduring Freedom. 

19 (19) Cost of bringing members of the Armed 

20 Forces and equipment back to the United States 

21 upon the conclusion of Operation Enduring Free22 dom, including the cost of demobilization, transpor23 tation costs (including fuel costs), providing transi24 tion services for members of the Armed Forces 

25 transitioning from active duty to veteran status, 


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1 transporting equipment, weapons, and munitions 

2 (including fuel costs), and an estimate of the value 

3 of equipment that will be left behind. 

4 (20) Cost to restore the military and military 

5 equipment, including the equipment of the reserve 

6 components, to full strength after the conclusion of 

7 Operation Enduring Freedom. 

8 (21) Amount of money borrowed to pay for Op9 eration Iraqi Freedom, Operation New Dawn, and 

10 Operation Enduring Freedom, and the sources of 

11 that money. 

12 (22) Interest on money borrowed, including in13 terest for money already borrowed and anticipated 

14 interest payments on future borrowing, for Oper15 ation Iraqi Freedom, Operation New Dawn, and Op16 eration Enduring Freedom. 

Æ 


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