Afghan Study Group Update 7/6 Afghanistan War Costs Come at the Expense of Other Defense Programs

From ASG
7/2/12
Afghanistan War Costs Come at the Expense of Other Defense Programs
Afghanistan Study Group by Mary Kaszynski
That $2.1 billion isn’t just additional money tacked on to the war budget for 2012. Instead, the Pentagon (pending congressional approval) will reprogram the funds—taking money from other defense programs and moving it the war budget.
ARTICLES
6/29/12
IMF approves disbursement after first review of Afghan program
Reuters by Lesley Wroughton
The International Monetary Fund on Friday approved an $18.2 million disbursement to Afghanistan following the first performance review of the country's new loan program.

7/6/12
Tokyo conference crucial to future Afghan aid
Associated Press
Afghanistan will seek at least $4 billion from international donors this weekend at a crucial aid conference aimed at propping up the country after most foreign combat troops leave at the end of 2014.
7/4/12
In Afghanistan, another turncoat shooting wounds five Americans
LA Times
An Afghan soldier opened fire on a group of American troops, wounding five of them, Western and Afghan military officials said Wednesday.The attack, which took place Tuesday in Wardak province in eastern Afghanistan, was the second incident of its kind in three days.
7/1/12
Rare meeting between Afghan government, Taliban
Associated Press by Kathy Gannon
A Taliban emissary sat face-to-face this week with a senior Afghan government official responsible for peace talks in a rare high-level gathering between the bitter adversaries
OPINION
7/5/12
The Military Solution
Tomdispatch by Tom Engelhardt
The militarization of the United States and the strengthening of the National Security Complex continues to accelerate. The Pentagon is, by now, a world unto itself, with a staggering budget at a moment when no other power or combination of powers comes near to challenging this country’s might.