Pentagon quietly adds 37 wounded troops to Iran war tally without explaining when or how
&imwidth=600&imheight=450&format=webp&quality=medium "Pentagon quietly adds 37 wounded troops to Iran war tally without explaining when or how")
Pentagon quietly adds 37 wounded troops to Iran war tally without explaining when or how Photograph: (AFP)
Pentagon casualty data shows 37 more US troops wounded in the Iran conflict, taking the total to 861, without explaining the new injuries
The Pentagon's public tally of US troops wounded during the Iran conflict increased by 37 this week, without an explanation from the Defense Department about when or how the injuries occurred. The increase includes 29 Navy sailors and eight Marines, according to a review of the Pentagon's Defense Casualty Analysis System, or DCAS, a public database tracking US military personnel killed and wounded during overseas conflicts and operations.
As of Wednesday, DCAS listed 861 US troops as wounded during the Iran conflict. More than half of those cases are categorized in the database under ‘Overseas Operations’ following the start of a July ceasefire between Washington and Tehran that subsequently collapsed. Earlier casualties were recorded under ‘Operation Epic Fury’, the name used by the Trump administration for the Iran conflict.
Pentagon database gives no details on 37 injuries
The DCAS database does not specify when or how the 37 newly listed service members were wounded. A Navy official said all 29 sailors had returned to duty following the unspecified injuries. The Pentagon has previously acknowledged that entries into the DCAS database can be delayed for days or longer. Officials have cited several reasons, including delays in reporting concussions and traumatic brain injuries because symptoms may not appear immediately.
The Navy and Marine Corps directed questions to US Central Command, which oversees American military operations in the Middle East. A Central Command spokesman declined to comment. Military officials have not publicly identified recent attacks or other incidents involving US forces that would explain the addition of the 37 wounded personnel.
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Trump administration disputes war description
The casualty update comes amid continued debate over how the Trump administration describes the conflict with Iran. President Donald Trump and other senior officials have repeatedly argued since the ceasefire that the confrontation should not be characterized as a war. Vice President JD Vance told reporters on September 3, “Right now, there is no active shooting.” The latest DCAS update nevertheless adds to the publicly recorded number of US military personnel who have been wounded in connection with operations involving Iran.
Pentagon casualty reporting under scrutiny
The administration's handling of military casualty figures has faced increased scrutiny since earlier this year. Four US service members who died as a result of the Iran conflict were briefly absent from the Pentagon's official casualty tally. The Washington Post subsequently reported that more American service members had died in the Middle East during the conflict than had been publicly disclosed by the Pentagon.
According to officials cited in that report, as many as five military fatalities were not reflected in the DCAS database. The discrepancy has not been resolved publicly. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth rejected the report and called it ‘disgusting’. At the time, DCAS listed 18 US personnel as having died from hostile and nonhostile causes since February 28, when the Trump administration, working with Israel, launched the military campaign against Iran.
Not all of the deaths were directly attributed to the Iran conflict. Some involved US personnel stationed in the region while hostilities were underway. The Pentagon's fatality tally increased to 19 this week following the death of an Army officer who experienced a medical emergency on September 18 while traveling to the Middle East.
What the DCAS data includes?
Historically, the Pentagon's casualty database has included both hostile and nonhostile deaths. Nonhostile fatalities can include deaths resulting from accidents, sudden medical emergencies and self-inflicted injuries, including suicides. Such reporting has traditionally been intended to provide the public with a comprehensive record of the human cost borne by US service members and their families during military operations. The latest increase in the wounded tally comes as questions continue over the completeness and timing of the Pentagon's public casualty disclosures.
