Obama Administration Doesn't Have Formal Cost For New Afghanistan Policy Yet --- WASHINGTON -- The Obama administration's proposal to keep 9,800 U.S. troops in Afghanistan next year was the product of lengthy deliberations. -- The president faced pressure from his military brass to maintain a robust military presence in the country; from his liberal base, to expedite the withdrawal; from his diplomatic corps, to foster good relations with the next Afghan government; and from his own political advisers, eager to dispel the criticism of a scattershot foreign policy. -- But for all the ingredients and deliberation that factored into the new Afghan policy, one major component remains vague: How much will it cost? -- Administration officials don't have an official answer yet. -- "We do not have a formal budget number to provide at this stage," said Caitlin Hayden, an administration spokeswoman, on Tuesday. --- In various interviews, Tony Blinken, the deputy national security adviser, has estimated that the price tag for Afghanistan will be around $20 billion next year. Placed in the context of the cost of the war so far -- one recent study pegged the cost of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars at $4 trillion to $6 trillion -- this is a drop in the bucket. -- But at a time when nearly every domestic program is subject to intense penny-pinching, a specific price tag could affect public opinion about the administration's plans to wind down America's presence in Afghanistan in the years ahead. -- Blinken's figure of $20 billion is just an estimate. Last year's request by the Pentagon for the Overseas Contingency Operations, the main source of funds for Afghanistan operations, was $79 billion. The U.S. at the time had 32,000 troops in the country. But just because the number of troops will be roughly 70 percent smaller at this time next year doesn't mean the OCO budget will be proportionally less. -- That assumption, said one administration official with knowledge of the discussions, "is not accurate," noting that OCO funds are used for many things beyond Afghanistan. - More, Huffingtonpost, http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/05/29/obama-afghanistan-cost_n_5411929.html?utm_hp_ref=afghanistan