War costs could be under $170 bln: Pentagon

By Andrea Shalal-Esa

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The wars in Iraq and Afghanistan will cost the United States less than the $170 billion estimate given earlier this year by Defense Secretary Robert Gates, the Pentagon's budget chief said on Tuesday.

"I expect it to be less," Pentagon Comptroller Tina Jonas told Reuters after a speech to a conference sponsored by Jane's Information Group. She did not give a figure.

Jonas said would discuss with Gates whether to give lawmakers a total estimate for war spending needs. The Bush administration has already requested $70 billion for the fiscal year starting October 1 and is pushing for about $100 billion more for the current fiscal year.

Asked whether Congress might combine fiscal 2008 and 2009 war spending, Jonas told the conference she was confident that lawmakers would "come to some accommodation."

That idea got a boost from Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Carl Levin, a Michigan Democrat, who told reporters, "It makes sense to me to attach (FY09) bridge funding to get us...into early next (calendar) year."

Levin was to meet with Gates this week to discuss ways of prodding Iraq to pay for more of its own reconstruction costs, relieving U.S. taxpayers of some of the burden. "My own approach would be to prohibit the obligation of funds in certain areas, including Iraqi reconstruction," Levin said.

Sen. Lindsey Graham, a South Carolina Republican, agreed, saying: "It's only fair and appropriate they (Iraqis) fight more and they pay more."

Democrats also expect to try to add language to the war-funding bill on ending the U.S. combat role in Iraq, which President George W. Bush has consistently opposed.