WASHINGTON—The NATO-led air war in Libya will cost the United States an estimated $750 million by the end of September, the Pentagon said Thursday.
The estimate clarified an earlier statement this month by US Defense Secretary Robert Gates, who had cited the same figure without specifying if he meant the cost of the war to date or over the remainder of the fiscal year.
Pentagon spokesman Colonel Dave Lapan told reporters the $750 million represents “the current estimate through the end of the fiscal year” on September 30.
Since April 1, the United States has played a supporting role in the NATO-led campaign, providing refueling tankers, surveillance aircraft and munitions but not fighter jets.
Starting on April 21, the United States also contributed two unmanned Predator drones to join in air strikes against Moammar Gadhafi’s regime.
The Pentagon on Wednesday for the first time acknowledged it was supplying NATO allies with ammunition and repair parts.
Gates also has indicated that unlike the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, the US funding for the Libya conflict will have to be drawn from the main defense budget and not added on in a supplemental funding measure.