By 1970, Operation Momentum cost $500 million annually, equivalent to about $3.3 billion today.
Notes on verification
Consistent figure repeated across multiple independent sources (Nikkei Asia article by the original book author, Forbes, Greydynamics), all tracing to Kurlantzick's well-regarded book. No contradicting figures found. [tier=unverified indep_score=0.3 clusters=3 claim_tier=notable] [rescored 2026-09-15: curated origin-host map (PR #65); unclassified hosts no longer scored as aggregators]
Sources
- A Great Place to Have a War | Council on Foreign Relations (seed:military_and_intelligence)
- https://www.forbes.com/sites/jplehmann/2017/03/01/covert-war-in-laos/ (corroboration)
- https://asia.nikkei.com/Viewpoints/Joshua-Kurlantzick/Troubling-legacy-of-a-forgotten-war-haunts-Laos (corroboration)
- https://greydynamics.com/operation-momentum-the-secret-laos-guerrilla-force/ (corroboration)