Highlights of costs of war research

Major findings from the "Costs of War" study on the financial and human costs of US wars in Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan since 2001 by the Watson Institute for International Studies at Brown University.










FINANCIAL TOLL:

* Congressional war appropriations to Pentagon since 2001: $1.3 trillion

* Additions to Pentagon base budget: $362 billion to $652 billion

* Interest on Pentagon war appropriations: $185 billion

* Veterans' medical claims and disability: $33 billion

* War-related international aid: $74 billion

* Additions to Homeland Security base spending: $401 billion

* Projected obligations for veterans care to 2050: $589 billion to $934 billion

* Social costs to veterans and military families to date: $295 billion to $400 billion

Future spending requests:

* 2012 Pentagon war spending: $118 billion

* 2012 foreign aid: $12 billion

* 2013-2015 projected war spending: $168 billion

* 2016-2020 projected war spending: $155 billion

ESTIMATED TOTAL: $3.7 trillion to $4.4 trillion

ADDITIONAL interest payments to 2020: $1 trillion

CONSERVATIVE DEATH TOLL ESTIMATES BY WAR ZONE:

Afghanistan: 33,877

Iraq: 151,471

Pakistan: 39,127

CONSERVATIVE DEATH TOLL ESTIMATES BY CATEGORY:

US military: 6,051

US contractors: 2,300

Iraqi security forces: 9,922

Afghan security forces: 8,756

Pakistani security forces: 3,520

Other allied troops: 1,192

Afghan civilians: 11,700

Iraqi civilians: 125,000

Pakistani civilians and insurgents: 35,600

Afghan insurgents: 10,000

Iraqi army during US invasion: 10,000

Journalists and media workers: 168

Humanitarian workers: 266

TOTAL: 224,475

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US ready to arm Philippines against rise of China

The United States has announced it is ready to provide hardware to modernise the military of the Philippines, which as vowed to "stand up to any aggressive action" amid rising tension at sea with China.

Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton and Philippines' Foreign Minister Albert del Rosario meet with reporters at the State Department in Washington .

Foreign Secretary Albert del Rosario, on a visit to Washington, said the Philippines hoped to lease equipment to upgrade its aged fleet and called for the allies to revamp their relationship in light of the friction with China.

"We are determined and committed to supporting the defence of the Philippines," Secretary of State Hillary Clinton told a joint news conference when asked about the hardware wish-list from the Philippines.

Mrs Clinton said the two nations were working "to determine what are the additional assets that the Philippines needs and how we can best provide those." She said del Rosario would meet Defence Secretary Robert Gates and other Pentagon officials.

Tensions in the strategic and resource-rich South China Sea have escalated in recent weeks, with the Philippines and Vietnam alarmed at what they say are increasingly aggressive actions by Beijing in the disputed waters.

"We are concerned that recent incidents in the South China Sea could undermine peace and stability," Clinton told , urging "all sides to exercise self-restraint."

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