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Pentagon Reclassifies Deaths
The Pentagon updated its Defense Casualty Analysis System over the weekend by splitting Iran-war casualties into two separate pages, with one covering Operation Epic Fury and another introducing a new category labeled “Overseas Operations” starting July 7.
“More than 600 US military service members injured since Iran War began in February At least 624 US military service members have been wounded since President Donald Trump ordered strikes against Iran in February, according to the Pentagon's most recent update on 25 July”
The change moved four of the 18 people listed as killed in the main Iran part of the war into the new category, and the BBC reported that the death count for Operation Epic Fury was reduced from 18 to 14 after four names were removed.
The BBC said the four deceased soldiers’ names now appear on Overseas Operations, which measures “casualties starting July 7th 2026,” while Reuters reported the Pentagon had said since Operation Epic Fury has concluded it classifies casualties as overseas operations in the CENTCOM area of responsibility.
In the same period, the Pentagon’s quiet update also added more than 140 wounded service members, and the BBC reported that at least 624 US military service members had been wounded since President Donald Trump ordered strikes against Iran in February.
Veterans Call It Disrespect
Veterans and lawmakers criticized the Pentagon’s reclassification as disrespectful and as a way to obscure accountability, with Michael E Smith, a retired US rear admiral and founder of National Security Leaders for America, saying, “It’s such a huge disrespect for the families.”
Smith also said, “To claim that they weren’t killed as a result of the war – oh, it was just overseas operations – is just ludicrous,” while Tristeza Ordex, a US Marine Corps veteran and national organizer at VoteVets, said the issue was about “accountability.”
The Guardian reported that the Pentagon’s DCAS update introduced the “Overseas Operations” category for personnel killed and wounded “starting July 7,” and it identified four US service members killed in action by Iranian forces under that category: 1st Lt Tyler James Feehan, Pvt Isabella Gonzales, Sgt Angel S Rampersad and Sgt Michael Emmanuel Swinton.
In response to the criticism, Joel Valdez, acting Pentagon press secretary, said the classification is grounded “strictly in a factual basis, not commentary or narrative,” and the BBC reported that Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell described the shifting figures as “temporary data disruptions.”
Transparency, Law, and Totals
The dispute over casualty reporting is tied to the War Powers Act of 1973, which requires the president to end military operations within 60 days unless Congress authorizes an extension, and the Independent reported that critics said the Pentagon’s change reinforced the administration’s claim it was waging an entirely new operation against Iran.
“- i24NEWS - International - US / Canada - Pentagon changes casualty reporting method amid criticism over undercounted totals Pentagon changes casualty reporting method amid criticism over undercounted totals The update introduced a new category separating casualties since July 7 from the earlier phase of the war, a move that has drawn criticism from lawmakers The Pentagon updated its official casualty database over the weekend, adding more than 140 wounded service members after reducing the figures just days earlier”
The Independent said the War Powers Act requires military operations to end within 60 days unless approved by Congress, while the Guardian added that the Trump administration argued an April ceasefire paused the clock on 1 May for the conflict’s initial period and that the separate casualty count beginning on 7 July followed that interpretation.
The BBC reported that the Pentagon revised its figures on those injured and killed by moving the four deaths from Operation Epic Fury to Overseas Operations, and it said the death count for Operation Epic Fury was listed at 18 as late as Tuesday before being reduced to 14.
With the Pentagon’s numbers now split across separate pages, the BBC said the total shows 18 US troops killed and 624 wounded since the war began on February 28, while i24NEWS reported that the earlier phase of the war, Operation Epic Fury, now stands at 14 service members killed and more than 400 wounded.
