“The independent Commission on Wartime Contracting estimated in August [31, 2011] that at least $31 billion has been lost to waste and fraud in Iraq and Afghanistan, adding that the total could be as high as $60 billion. It studied not just reconstruction spending, but $206 billion for the logistical support of coalition forces and the performance of security functions. The commission found that from 10 to 20 percent of the $206 billion in spending was wasted, while fraud accounted for the loss of another 5 to 9 percent.”
– Pauline Jelinek, “Afghanistan, Iraq Crime Increasing, According to New Report,” Associated Press, Oct. 29, 2011