Iraq War Fuel Costs Soar

So you think you’re being ripped off by Big Oil? Spare a thought for the poor old American military in Iraq that is burning fuel at a staggering rate.

Military units pay an average of $3.23 a gallon for gasoline, diesel and jet fuel, some $88 a day per service member in Iraq, according to a survey carried out by the Associated Press. In comparison, Baghdad subsidies gas, so Iraqis pay only about $1.36 a gallon.

Overall, the military consumes about 1.2 million barrels, or more than 50 million gallons of fuel, each month in Iraq at an average $127.68 a barrel. That works out to about $153 million a month.

Critics in Congress are said to be fuming. They argue that the US is getting suckered as the cost of the war exceeds half a trillion dollars: $10.3 billion a month, according to the Congressional Research Service.

Historically, these figures are astounding. In World War II, the average fuel consumption per soldier or Marine was about 1.67 gallons a day; in Iraq, it’s 27.3 gallons. The Defense Department is the nation’s single largest user of energy, at 1.6 million gallons a day in Iraq.

And if you are worried about the mpg on your own car, spare a thought for the military. The new Mine-Resistant Armored Protective vehicles get less than six miles per gallon. Heavily armoured Humvees get four mpg….