What it takes to get a soldier’s boots on the ground
President Obama wants Congress to authorize a U.S. military-led operation against ISIS in Syria and Iraq.
The president says he’s not committing the country to another drawn-out, costly war. But getting just one pair of boots on the ground costs a lot of money.
It’s not just bombs and bullets: It’s all the civilian support required to sustain a deployment of any size for any period of time. In this case, the main weapon used may be airpower, and the footprint may not be as large as it was in Afghanistan or Iraq at the height of the war. But there will be plenty of work for civilian contractors.
For the full story, click the audio player above.
Stories You Might Like
There’s a lot happening in the world. Through it all, Marketplace is here for you.
You rely on Marketplace to break down the world’s events and tell you how it affects you in a fact-based, approachable way. We rely on your financial support to keep making that possible.
Your donation today powers the independent journalism that you rely on. For just $5/month, you can help sustain Marketplace so we can keep reporting on the things that matter to you.
