Data from the Pentagon’s Defense Casualty Analysis System (DCAS) shows that as of 23/9, the total number of US service members injured in the conflict with Iran reached 861, an increase of 37 cases from the previous update. Among these were 29 Navy sailors and eight Marines.
DCAS did not specify the time, location, or cause of these injuries. US officials have also not commented on military casualties from recent attacks on US bases and warships in the Middle East.
More than one-half of the injured US service members were categorized by DCAS under "overseas operations" that occurred since the ceasefire agreement between Washington and Tehran took effect in early July. Previously, figures for service member deaths and injuries were listed under "Operation Horrific Rage."
The Pentagon has not commented on this information.
A US Navy official told the Washington Post that all injured sailors had returned to duty, but did not elaborate on the circumstances or severity of their injuries.
Earlier this month, Iran announced it had for the first time tested "one special type of anti-ship missile" against a US warship, forcing the adversary to withdraw from the area.
US Central Command (CENTCOM), responsible for US forces' operations in the Middle East, confirmed on 5/9 that an aircraft carrier and a destroyer had "successfully evaded a series of Iranian attacks," asserting that no military personnel were harmed in the incident.
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Damage at NSA Bahrain in satellite imagery released in June. Photo: Airbus, WSJ |
Iranian forces had also repeatedly attacked the Naval Support Activity (NSA) in Bahrain, which serves as the headquarters for the US Fifth Fleet and Naval Forces Central Command, the authority overseeing naval operations in the Middle East.
Acting US Secretary of the Navy Hung Cao confirmed that the attacks severely damaged NSA Bahrain and that Washington is considering options for repairing the facility.
US defense officials previously stated that the process of updating data in DCAS can be delayed for several days or longer due to various reasons. For example, concussions and traumatic brain injuries may be detected late because symptoms do not always appear immediately.
Last week, the Washington Post, citing unnamed US officials, reported that the number of military personnel killed in the Middle East was higher than the Pentagon's publicly released statistics, with five fatalities not recorded in the DCAS database. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth later denied this information.
The Pentagon also drew attention in late July when US media noticed that the number of service members killed in Operation Horrific Rage on DCAS decreased from 18 to 14. Cases no longer included in the statistics were all fatalities after the ceasefire collapsed on 8/7, leading to a series of retaliatory attacks between the US and Iran.
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US service members train on the amphibious assault ship USS Boxer deployed in the Middle East, in a photo released on 25/9. Photo: CENTCOM |
A group of 12 Democratic senators sent a letter to Secretary Hegseth, demanding a full accounting of casualties in the Iran conflict. They argued that delayed or inconsistent disclosure of data not only hinders congressional oversight but also prevents the public from fully assessing the costs of the conflict.
According to the Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA), reclassifying casualty cases within DCAS is not just a matter of transparency but also impacts the benefits and rights available to veterans and the families of those killed.
Hoang Lan (According to Washington Post)
