WASHINGTON - The monthly cost of the war in Afghanistan, driven by troop increases and fighting on difficult terrain, has topped Iraq costs for the first time since 2003 and shows no sign of letting up.

Pentagon spending in February, the most recent month available, was $6.7 billion in Afghanistan compared with $5.5 billion in Iraq. As recently as fiscal year 2008, Iraq was three times as expensive; in 2009, it was twice as costly.

The shift is occurring because the Pentagon is adding troops in Afghanistan and withdrawing them from Iraq. And it's happening as the cumulative cost of the two wars surpasses $1 trillion, including spending for veterans and foreign aid. Those costs could put increased pressure on President Obama and Congress, given the nation's $12.9 trillion debt.

"The overall costs are a function, in part, of the number of troops," says Linda Bilmes, an expert on wartime spending at Harvard University. "The costs are also a result of the intensity of operations, and the number of different places that we have our troops deployed."

Obama made clear Wednesday that the U.S. role in Afghanistan would remain long after troops are withdrawn, a process planned to begin in July 2011. "This is a long-term partnership," he said during a news conference with Afghan President Hamid Karzai.

WASHINGTON (Army News Service, May 7, 2010) -- Louisiana National Guard Soldiers built a 300-foot floating pier to help block an oil slick in the Gulf of Mexico from reaching the Louisiana coastline.

Soldiers of the Multi-Role Bridge Company, 205th Engineer Battalion, launched bridge erection boats and float ribbon bridge sets Thursday at Campo's Marina in St. Bernard, La. The new facilities will allow commercial vessels to quickly load protective booms to place along the coastline.

Lt. Col. Danny Bordelon, engineering task force commander, explained that the floating dock is necessary because the area of operations is very tight and shallow. Due to the shallow water, commercial vessels are not able to access the commercial pier. The 300 feet of floating dock will allow four commercial vessels to load booms at the same time.

"The Soldiers are doing an excellent job and are very motivated to help out," said Bordelon.

Local St. Barnard Parish officials requested assistance from the National Guard to construct the 300-foot floating pier to aid in the distribution of booms and supplies.

The Soldiers are also assisting in the loading of booms onto ships, providing logistical and command and control support, providing security, transporting booms from Mobile, Ala., and providing aerial reconnaissance for government officials, Bordelon said.

"We are here as long as we need to be," he said.

WASHINGTON — When President Obama looked for a person to head up the federal response to the Gulf of Mexico oil spill, he turned to a man who already had a major crisis on his résumé.

The Coast Guard commandant, Adm. Thad Allen, hasn't generated a lot of headlines over the years, but his supporters say his quiet leadership quickly restored confidence in the government's response to Hurricane Katrina in 2005.

"He performed magnificently in a crisis," said Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. "Nobody could have done it better."

Mullen and other colleagues of Allen said he was an obvious choice to oversee the federal response to the Deepwater Horizon oil spill.

Before Katrina, Allen was not a household name.

He was thrust into the media glare when he was named to replace Michael Brown, the Federal Emergency Management Agency director who was widely criticized for the government's sluggish response in the hurricane's aftermath.

Working amid chaotic conditions, his colleagues say, Allen's understated style was key to his success. "He holds his temper well," said Gil Jamieson, a former Homeland Security official who was Allen's deputy during Katrina.

His public personality stood in stark contrast to that of Lt. Gen. Russell Honoré, the colorful, cigar-chomping Army officer who worked alongside Allen, heading up the military response.

Allen "was tough and firm," Jamieson said.

The son of a senior career enlisted Coast Guardsman, Allen, 61, has spent almost four decades in the service and was appointed commandant in 2006.

He will still step down as commandant this month, as planned, and then will retire from the service this summer, said Cmdr. Martha LaGuardia-Kotite, a Coast Guard spokeswoman.

Mullen said Allen has the leadership skills and technical knowledge to effectively manage the spill.

"The sea services have been around oil spills our whole lives," Mullen said.

Mullen said he first encountered Allen during a meeting when the two served as budget officials in their respective services almost 10 years ago.

"He left the office, and I said, 'That's got to be the next commandant of the Coast Guard,' " Mullen said.