answer:I suspect that the planes and equipment that are being used are on the US payrole whether or not they are sitting on the ground or being used. Likewise, the people in them are being paid regardless of where they are. While the stated mission is for economic reasons, there’s probably much more to it than is covered in the newspaper article, given the location of India. Given that our previous president could not read a world map correctly when he first took office, and rarely left the country, I think getting out and acknowledging the rest of the world is something that our leadership needs to do. It certainly does not cost anywhere as much money as the war George Bush started with Iraq.