The cost of sending 40,000 additional American troops to Afghanistan is estimated to be between $40 billion to $54 billion annually, a new report says.

The New York Times cited top administration officials on Saturday that budget projections for the Afghan war will cost US taxpayers at least $1 million per soldier, per year.

"Even if fewer troops are sent, or their mission is modified, the rough formula used by the White House ... appears almost constant," the Times reported.

Top US commander in Afghanistan Gen. Stanley McChrystal urged Washington to send tens of thousands of more troops to the war-torn country three months ago.

President Barack Obama has been dithering about McChrystal's request over the troop surge.

Washington is in a critical position for deciding how to cope with the current situation in the country.

The new estimate for the cost of war in Afghanistan will cancel out the $26 billion savings projected for a 2010 troop withdrawal in Iraq, said the report.

Under this scenario, the overall military budget could rise as high as $734 billion. The highest annual military budget during the Bush administration was $667 billion, it added.

In 2006, Congressional researchers estimated that the accumulated costs for each soldier in Afghanistan would be about $390,000. The sharp rise in costs reflects the increase in mine-resistant troop carriers and surveillance equipment, in both Iraq and Afghanistan.

The unique difficulties of transporting soldiers around the mountainous, isolated terrain in Afghanistan also burdens US taxpayers, according to military analysts.

AGB/SC/DT