A newly revised US Department of Defence casualty database has added 142 previously unlisted injuries among American military personnel during President Donald Trump’s war against Iran.
The update introduced a separate category titled “External Operations” into the Pentagon’s online casualty tracking system. The move has drawn criticism that the department is distributing casualties across different classifications in a way that reduces their apparent scale in official statistics.
The revision also restored four military deaths that had previously been removed from the Department of Defence Casualty Analysis System, prompting anger among military families, veterans and members of Congress.
According to The Independent, the new “External Operations” category includes casualties caused by Iran since 7 July, when fighting resumed after a fragile ceasefire that began on 8 April.
The four restored deaths were First Lieutenant Tyler James Feehan, Sergeant Angel S. Rampersad, Private Isabella Gonzalez and Sergeant Michael Emmanuel Swinton, according to CBS News.
Separating Casualties Between Two Phases Draws Criticism
Earlier casualties remain listed under a separate category titled “Operation Epic Fury”, the name given to the war launched by Trump on 28 February without congressional authorisation.
Outgoing Republican congressman Thomas Massie of Kentucky described the division of casualties by date as a “ridiculous gimmick”, arguing that the Pentagon was treating the confrontation as though two separate wars against Iran had taken place, divided only by a brief ceasefire.
“The Pentagon is pretending that two wars against Iran occurred, separated by a short ceasefire,” Massie wrote on social media on Thursday.
Earlier Reports of Unreported Injuries
The New York Times reported last week that the Pentagon had concealed dozens of injuries among US troops caused by three Iranian attacks targeting American forces in the country earlier that month.
The newspaper said it obtained information about the attacks, which also damaged several US helicopters, from American officials who spoke on condition of anonymity.
Following publication of the report, chief Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell said on social media that around 100 service members had suffered “some degree of injury since 7 July”, adding that 96 per cent had returned to duty.
“The vast majority of the injuries were minor concussions,” Parnell said. “Additional updates will be posted to the Department of Defense Casualty Analysis System.”
CBS News noted that minor concussions may include traumatic brain injuries whose symptoms do not appear immediately.
Figures listed across the database pages for “Operation Epic Fury” and “External Operations” show a combined total of 18 service members killed and 624 injured.
The Pentagon had previously stated that only 482 personnel had been injured.
The introduction of the new category has therefore widened the controversy beyond the increase in casualty figures. It has also focused attention on how the Department of Defense classified the losses by separating them between two phases of fighting connected to Iran.
