How much does it cost the government (taxpayers) to train a soldier/Marine/Airman/Sailor in basic?

[Anguswarrior112]

In this question I mean how much it costs to train a recruit while they are in basic training or bootcamp? Including their pay in training, food, Mres they eat, rounds they shoot, equipment issued, utilities, clothing, and healthcare? I would imagine the cost would be pretty high. I was curious because I looked at the defense budget and my goodness is it enormous!!

 

[THParent]

About $20K plus about $4K for equipment.
For Marines, the equipment cost is lower, because all they get is old, obsolete, hand-me-down, broken crap from other branches.

 

[CitadelN88]

I don't know but a lot less than it costs to poorly train them

 

[kinnem]

About $20K plus about $4K for equipment.
For Marines, the equipment cost is lower, because all they get is old, obsolete, hand-me-down, broken crap from other branches.

And they do wonders with it!

 

[AF6872]

My basic pay was $90 a month. We earned every bit of it.

 

[Day-Tripper]

In this question I mean how much it costs to train a recruit while they are in basic training or bootcamp? Including their pay in training, food, Mres they eat, rounds they shoot, equipment issued, utilities, clothing, and healthcare? I would imagine the cost would be pretty high. I was curious because I looked at the defense budget and my goodness is it enormous!!

Apart from basic training, an increasing cost in today's military is related to the all-volunteer military. More married personnel, with spouses and rugrats, require more housing expenses, more insurance expenses, grocery dollars, on-base teachers, etc.

Many jobs once performed by low cost GIs are now done by more-expensive civilian federal employees or contractors.

A 19 year old (unmarried) infantryman is relatively cheap by comparison.