The U.S. military is pursuing talks over a possible troop presence in Iraq beyond the end of 2011, a deal that if struck could cost billions annually and complicate efforts to reduce the nation's untamed deficit/…/But Panetta already made clear, at his confirmation hearing in June, that he thinks Iraq will ultimately want U.S. troops to stay, citing the hundreds of al Qaeda-linked insurgents still in the country.
Such an arrangement with Iraq could cost between $5 billion and $10 billion a year, according to one budget analyst. Todd Harrison, a senior fellow with the Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments, said his "rough estimate" is based on the assumption that as many as 10,000 trainers remain in the country/…/If the assumption holds true, U.S. budget writers could be looking at another $100 billion in Iraq war costs over the next decade. Harrison said that sustained operations in Iraq could require budget-writers to find savings elsewhere -- either from other cuts in the defense budget or even some kind of "war surtax" for anything beyond current projections.