The Pentagon spent $550 million on its Libyan incursion, according to the AP:
Of the $550 million in added spending through Monday, about 60 percent was "for munitions, the remaining costs are for higher operating tempo" of U.S. forces and of getting them there, Cmdr. Kathleen Kesler, a Pentagon spokeswoman, said Tuesday.The half a billion went to support unknown rebels, according to another Pentagon official:
When asked at the Defense Department briefing about who the opposition rebels are, Vice Admiral William Gortney told the press that he did not know. "We would like a much better understanding of the opposition but we don't have it," Gortney said. He said they are providing neither direct support nor is the U.S. "consulting" with those fighting Col. Gadhafi's forces.Yet, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton meets with the Libyan opposition today in London. The opposition is well enough organized to form a Libyan Oil Company and Central Bank two days after a March 17 UN Resolution. To clear up the opposition confusion, the U.S. will dispatch a special envoy.
Meanwhile NATO considers ground troops for new "regime stabilization," something ruled out in Obama's speech to the nation. CFR noted Clinton's assertion the U.S. attacked Libya as pay back for allied cooperation in Afghanistan. How much sand can they throw in the public eye?
Update: The U.S. Treasury approved oil sales by said unknown rebels, opening the door for oil funding for al Qaeda.
Update 4-9-11: WikiLeaks cables show how the U.S. courted Libya under George W. Bush and Barack Obama.
Update 9-17-16: The British investigated the West's abysmal intervention in Libya. It cited Libya's current state as chaos.
