The Pentagon has been hesitant to reveal information about injuries sustained by US troops amidst the ongoing conflict with Iran, refraining from publicly acknowledging the consequences of Iranian assaults and primarily reporting figures on a military website that is often delayed in updating, with officials stating that this postponement is meant to safeguard service members.
In the earlier stages of the conflict, the US Central Command, which oversees military operations, provided regular updates on injuries; however, it has not been consistently reporting non-fatal incidents in recent months.
Consequently, the Defense Casualty Analysis System, or DCAS, serves as the main official record for US casualties in the conflict. Data analyzed by USdaily indicates a notable lag in updates, and a Pentagon representative stated that “it can take several days or even weeks for an injury to be recorded in military databases” due to necessary medical assessments and reviews. However, the official emphasized that the DCAS database is “regularly updated.”
Following the signing of a memorandum of understanding between the US and Iran in mid-June, DCAS had documented one new US fatality as of Monday afternoon. Navy Cmdr. Gabriel Edwards, a helicopter pilot, was lost at sea in an accident on July 1 in the Arabian Sea. The system also indicated 14 newly reported wounded service members, the same figure noted in a Friday update.
The reporting of these injuries appears inconsistent and often comes in groups. An Air Force member was listed as injured in a July 13 database update, while an additional 10 soldiers and three sailors were noted as wounded in the July 17 update.
Following the initial publication of this article, the DCAS website received another update on July 20, which included four new soldier deaths and 20 additional injuries.
Nonetheless, numerous unreported injuries persist, as stated by the Pentagon’s chief spokesperson, Sean Parnell, who mentioned on Monday afternoon in a post on X that “nearly 100 service members” have sustained injuries since July 7, most of which are described as “minor concussions.”
Parnell previously informed USdaily that these reporting delays are crucial for the safety of over 50,000 US troops stationed throughout the Middle East.
“Disclosing real-time information about non-fatal injuries to the press is equivalent to sharing that information directly with our adversaries, potentially endangering more service members by providing them with rapid access to that information,” Parnell expressed in a statement.
Parnell stated that both the Pentagon and CENTCOM have “consistently provided detailed updates to the public regarding the United States’ strikes and operations in Iran,” and asserted that public comments made by President Donald Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth provide “clear, unfiltered insight into our objectives and decisive actions.”
A missile strike by Iran on Muwaffaq Salti Air Base in Jordan resulted in the deaths of two US troops and left one missing on Friday, while another service member was killed in northern Iraq during the controlled detonation of a downed Iranian drone.
An unspecified number of troops were injured in the recent regional attacks—CENTCOM reported that one service member was wounded during the Iraq incident, while four were treated and released from hospitals in Jordan following the airbase attack, and an undisclosed number of “other personnel who were assessed for minor injuries have returned to duty.”
This article was revised after the Pentagon released a second set of casualty data on Monday evening.
Davis Winkie’s contributions to USdaily are supported by a collaboration between Outrider Foundation and Journalism Funding Partners (JFP). USdaily maintains complete editorial control of the reporting.
