Logistics: What Does It Cost To Move An Armored Division?

Archives

March 12,2008: The U.S. Army is moving the 1st Armored Division to Ft Bliss, in Texas. Since 1971, the division had been based in Europe. Since the end of the Cold War, the U.S. has withdrawn about 80 percent of the forces it has stationed in Europe since the end of World War II. For over 60 years, Ft Bliss was the home of missile research, and the training of troops to handle them, mainly anti-aircraft missiles. But now Ft Bliss will be reconfigured to house an armored division as well. This involves building barracks, support and administrative buildings, as well as training areas. This will cost over $4 billion dollars. That's about how much it costs to equip an armored division, and train the troops to man it. It costs over two billion dollars a year to maintain an armored division. Most of that goes to payroll and troops support.