Pentagon Quietly Revises the Iran War Toll to 21 Dead and 865 Wounded as Lawmakers Demand an Explanation

On Friday 9 October the Pentagon updated its Defense Casualty Analysis System, the official database of military casualties. The war with Iran now counts 21 US service members killed and 865 wounded, Stars and Stripes reported.

The figures are split in two. Operation Epic Fury, from 28 February, accounts for 15 deaths and 417 wounded. A separate category for “overseas operations” since 7 July accounts for 6 deaths and 448 wounded. In July the Pentagon told AP that Epic Fury had ended and that renewed fighting would be recorded under the new heading.

What changed

Among the newly added deaths is Army National Guard Major Sorffly Davius, 46, who died in Kuwait on 6 March and hadn’t been in the official count, and an unnamed sailor who died by suicide in September. According to the New York Times, the total rose from 18 to 21 and the wounded count by 98. Stars and Stripes described two added noncombat deaths, so the size of the revision isn’t fully clear.

Representatives Adam Smith, the top Democrat on the House Armed Services Committee, and Chrissy Houlahan said there is “no excuse for a mistake of this magnitude” and demanded an explanation.

A pattern on numbers

It’s the second dispute over war accounting in a month. The Pentagon’s cost estimate has moved from $33.4 billion in the inspector general’s count to $43.6 billion in its own, as covered in our post on war costs. CBO said it couldn’t estimate damage to US bases. The Washington Post reported earlier that the true casualty toll exceeded the official count. The Defense Secretary called that “a complete lie.”

Splitting the war into two operations matters beyond bookkeeping. The administration declared Epic Fury concluded in May. Recording later fighting as a separate operation can make the war look shorter and smaller in official statistics, and it bears on the War Powers Resolution’s 60-day clock, which lawmakers say has long expired.

Public opinion

An AP-NORC poll published on 10 October found 69% of Americans say the war was not worth fighting, up from 64% in July. Only 28% approve of the President’s handling of Iran. On 10 October the President said Iran would “probably do a little bit extra before the election… But we could end it really quick.”

What Congress can do

Congress returns after the 3 November election. Armed Services members can demand a full accounting at hearings and write reporting requirements into the defence bill, which has been stalled in the Senate since July. Democrats have said they won’t approve war money without a plan to end the war.