{"id":18467,"date":"2026-07-27T04:24:36","date_gmt":"2026-07-26T23:24:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/?p=18467"},"modified":"2026-07-27T04:24:36","modified_gmt":"2026-07-26T23:24:36","slug":"pentagon-quietly-updates-how-it-categorizes-iran-war-casualties","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/?p=18467","title":{"rendered":"Pentagon quietly updates how it categorizes Iran war casualties"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><script>\r\n  atOptions = {\r\n    'key' : '644b717812d811d6a1c1fc5b6ccd6fa6',\r\n    'format' : 'iframe',\r\n    'height' : 90,\r\n    'width' : 728,\r\n    'params' : {}\r\n  };\r\n<\/script>\r\n<script src=\"https:\/\/www.highperformanceformat.com\/644b717812d811d6a1c1fc5b6ccd6fa6\/invoke.js\"><\/script>\r\n<br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div xmlns:default=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" data-testid=\"prism-article-body\">\n<p class=\"EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao MvWXB TjIXL aGjvy ebVHC \">The Pentagon has updated its public-facing casualty database after abruptly <a class=\"zZygg UbGlr iFzkS qdXbA WCDhQ DbOXS tqUtK GpWVU iJYzE \" data-testid=\"prism-linkbase\" href=\"https:\/\/abcnews.com\/US\/pentagon-lowers-count-iran-war-dead-wounded-sparking\/story?id=135043063\" target=\"_blank\" dir=\"ltr\">revising its Iran war casualty figures last week<\/a>, when it reduced the number of U.S. troops listed as killed in Operation Epic Fury from 18 to 14 and removed dozens of wounded service members from that tally.<\/p>\n<p class=\"EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy \">The Defense Department now appears to be tracking casualties in its Defense Casualty Analysis System (DCAS) under a <a class=\"zZygg UbGlr iFzkS qdXbA WCDhQ DbOXS tqUtK GpWVU iJYzE \" data-testid=\"prism-linkbase\" href=\"https:\/\/dcas.dmdc.osd.mil\/dcas\/conflictCasualties\/oo\/byCategory\" target=\"_blank\" dir=\"ltr\">new category labeled Overseas Operations<\/a> rather than Operation Epic Fury, the namesake previously used for the Iran campaign \u2013 in effect restarting its accounting of dead and wounded in the war.<!-- -->\u00a0<\/p>\n<div class=\"oLzSq QrHMO fnRUo pvsTF EhJPu vPlOC zNYgW OsTsW RMeqy daRVX ISNQ sKyCY eRftA acPPc MENS nFwaT MCnQE mEeeY SmBjI xegrY rPLsU iulOd NIuqO zzscu lzDCc aHUBM IEgzD OjMNy eQqcx SVqKB GQmdz jaoD VWDdR ONJdw vrZxD OnRTz gbbfF roDbV GPGwb oMlSS gfNzt oJhud eXZcf zhVlX \">\n<div>\n<div class=\"InlineImage GpQCA lZur asrEW \" data-testid=\"prism-inline-image\">\n<figure class=\"kzIjN GNmeK pYrtp dSqFO \" data-testid=\"prism-figure\">\n<div class=\"GpQCA lZur \" style=\"padding-bottom:65.27777777777779%\" data-testid=\"prism-ratio-frame\">\n<div class=\"FvQLF iLTd NqeUA UzzHi iWsMV \"><picture data-testid=\"prism-picture\"><source media=\"(max-width: 414px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i.abcnewsfe.com\/a\/7fe91087-7893-4272-bf3e-dab455a3712c\/donald-trump-9-ap-gmh-260722_1784736201871_hpMain.jpg?w=375, https:\/\/i.abcnewsfe.com\/a\/7fe91087-7893-4272-bf3e-dab455a3712c\/donald-trump-9-ap-gmh-260722_1784736201871_hpMain.jpg?w=750 2x\"\/><source media=\"(min-width: 415px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i.abcnewsfe.com\/a\/7fe91087-7893-4272-bf3e-dab455a3712c\/donald-trump-9-ap-gmh-260722_1784736201871_hpMain.jpg?w=750, https:\/\/i.abcnewsfe.com\/a\/7fe91087-7893-4272-bf3e-dab455a3712c\/donald-trump-9-ap-gmh-260722_1784736201871_hpMain.jpg?w=1500 2x\"\/><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"\" class=\"hsDdd NDJZt sJeUN IJwXl vBqtr KrDt itslR SjwtZ hakZw HlUVI \" data-testid=\"prism-image\" draggable=\"false\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/i.abcnewsfe.com\/a\/7fe91087-7893-4272-bf3e-dab455a3712c\/donald-trump-9-ap-gmh-260722_1784736201871_hpMain.jpg\"\/><\/picture><\/div>\n<\/div><figcaption>\n<div class=\"nMMea bNYiy Mjgpa dGwha DDmxa jgKNG RGHCC aBIU PriDW aiQHS lZur \" data-testid=\"prism-caption\">\n<p><span class=\"hsDdd OOSI GpQCA lZur VlFaz \" data-testid=\"prism-truncate\"><span><span class=\"gtOSm FbbUW tUtYa vOCwz EQwFq yCufu eEak Qmvg nyTIa SRXVc vzLa jgBfc WXDas CiUCW kqbG zrdEG txGfn ygKVe BbezD UOtxr CVfpq xijV soGRS XgdC sEIlf daWqJ \">President Donald Trump and Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth salute as a U.S. Army carry team moves a transfer case containing the remains of 1st Lt. Tyler James Feehan of Ewa Beach, Hawaii, July 22, 2026, at Dover Air Force Base, Del.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span class=\"gtOSm FbbUW tUtYa vOCwz EQwFq yCufu eEak Qmvg nyTIa SRXVc vzLa jgBfc WXDas CiUCW kqbG zrdEG txGfn ygKVe BbezD UOtxr CVfpq xijV soGRS XgdC sEIlf daWqJ YNujN JGtjI aZFDu rkKLh \">Matt Rourke\/AP Photo<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy \">It\u2019s unclear how defense officials are defining \u201coverseas operations\u201d and whether that\u2019s exclusively counting Iran war dead and wounded. The Pentagon did not return an ABC News request for comment.<\/p>\n<p class=\"EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy \">DCAS is the Pentagon&#8217;s primary public repository for tracking U.S. military casualties from current and past conflicts and serves as the federal government&#8217;s authoritative public record of war dead. The Defense Department maintains the database using casualty data submitted by the military services. <!-- -->\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy \">Parsing out individual phases of a war from a broader campaign, as the Defense Department is now appearing to do, is unprecedented and can make it difficult to get a clear accounting of U.S. casualties.<!-- -->\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy \">The new Overseas Operations category also lists 207 U.S. troops wounded since July 7, marking at least 624 wounded since the U.S. and Israel launched the war in February.<!-- -->\u00a0<\/p>\n<div class=\"oLzSq QrHMO fnRUo pvsTF EhJPu vPlOC zNYgW OsTsW RMeqy daRVX ISNQ sKyCY eRftA acPPc MENS nFwaT MCnQE mEeeY SmBjI xegrY rPLsU iulOd NIuqO zzscu lzDCc aHUBM IEgzD OjMNy eQqcx SVqKB GQmdz jaoD VWDdR ONJdw vrZxD OnRTz gbbfF roDbV GPGwb oMlSS gfNzt oJhud eXZcf zhVlX \">\n<div>\n<div class=\"InlineImage GpQCA lZur asrEW \" data-testid=\"prism-inline-image\">\n<figure class=\"kzIjN GNmeK pYrtp dSqFO \" data-testid=\"prism-figure\">\n<div class=\"GpQCA lZur gIjeL \" data-testid=\"prism-ratio-frame\">\n<div class=\"FvQLF iLTd NqeUA UzzHi iWsMV \"><picture data-testid=\"prism-picture\"><source media=\"(max-width: 414px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i.abcnewsfe.com\/a\/46dc2b9e-ca73-440c-8aa8-5cf489e24739\/donald-trump-13-gty-gmh-260722_1784736897508_hpMain.jpg?w=375, https:\/\/i.abcnewsfe.com\/a\/46dc2b9e-ca73-440c-8aa8-5cf489e24739\/donald-trump-13-gty-gmh-260722_1784736897508_hpMain.jpg?w=750 2x\"\/><source media=\"(min-width: 415px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i.abcnewsfe.com\/a\/46dc2b9e-ca73-440c-8aa8-5cf489e24739\/donald-trump-13-gty-gmh-260722_1784736897508_hpMain.jpg?w=750, https:\/\/i.abcnewsfe.com\/a\/46dc2b9e-ca73-440c-8aa8-5cf489e24739\/donald-trump-13-gty-gmh-260722_1784736897508_hpMain.jpg?w=1500 2x\"\/><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"PHOTO: President Donald Trump and Secretary of War Pete Hegseth salute during a dignified transfer at Dover Air Force Base, July 22, 2026 in Dover, Delaware.\" class=\"hsDdd NDJZt sJeUN IJwXl vBqtr KrDt itslR SjwtZ hakZw HlUVI \" data-testid=\"prism-image\" draggable=\"false\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/i.abcnewsfe.com\/a\/46dc2b9e-ca73-440c-8aa8-5cf489e24739\/donald-trump-13-gty-gmh-260722_1784736897508_hpMain.jpg\"\/><\/picture><\/div>\n<\/div><figcaption>\n<div class=\"nMMea bNYiy Mjgpa dGwha DDmxa jgKNG RGHCC aBIU PriDW aiQHS lZur \" data-testid=\"prism-caption\">\n<p><span class=\"hsDdd OOSI GpQCA lZur VlFaz \" data-testid=\"prism-truncate\"><span><span class=\"gtOSm FbbUW tUtYa vOCwz EQwFq yCufu eEak Qmvg nyTIa SRXVc vzLa jgBfc WXDas CiUCW kqbG zrdEG txGfn ygKVe BbezD UOtxr CVfpq xijV soGRS XgdC sEIlf daWqJ \">President Donald Trump and Secretary of War Pete Hegseth salute as members of a U.S. Army carry team move the flag-draped transfer case holding the remains of Army Staff Sgt. Michael Emmanuel Swinton during a dignified transfer at Dover Air Force Base, July 22, 2026 in Dover, Delaware.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span class=\"gtOSm FbbUW tUtYa vOCwz EQwFq yCufu eEak Qmvg nyTIa SRXVc vzLa jgBfc WXDas CiUCW kqbG zrdEG txGfn ygKVe BbezD UOtxr CVfpq xijV soGRS XgdC sEIlf daWqJ YNujN JGtjI aZFDu rkKLh \">Kevin Dietsch\/Getty Images<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy \">The change in<!-- -->\u00a0<!-- -->accounting<!-- -->\u00a0<!-- -->may stem from the Trump administration&#8217;s position that Operation Epic Fury<!-- -->\u00a0<a class=\"zZygg UbGlr iFzkS qdXbA WCDhQ DbOXS tqUtK GpWVU iJYzE \" data-testid=\"prism-linkbase\" href=\"https:\/\/nam04.safelinks.protection.outlook.com\/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fabcnews.com%2FPolitics%2Frubio-operation-iran-nuclear-material-removed%2Fstory%3Fid%3D132687267&amp;data=05%7C02%7CLeah.Sarnoff%40abc.com%7Cd43f28ae618341ea5fad08deeb645b2b%7C56b731a8a2ac4c32bf6b616810e913c6%7C1%7C0%7C639207013413038477%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&amp;sdata=Bt8MQNikTs6BLenoI6g9MgPoGdcJKi6jQW68sqSGy1k%3D&amp;reserved=0\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" dir=\"ltr\"><u class=\" \">ended in May<\/u><\/a>\u00a0<!-- -->and that the resumption of daily fighting resets the 60-day limit of waging war without congressional approval.<\/p>\n<p class=\"EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy \">Last week, the House adopted an <a class=\"zZygg UbGlr iFzkS qdXbA WCDhQ DbOXS tqUtK GpWVU iJYzE \" data-testid=\"prism-linkbase\" href=\"https:\/\/abcnews.com\/International\/live-updates\/iran-live-updates-kuwait-attacked-bahrain-sounds-sirens?id=134907987&amp;entryId=135019530\" target=\"_blank\" dir=\"ltr\">Iran war powers resolution<\/a> in a rare rebuke of President Donald Trump with Reps. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., Warren Davidson, R-Ohio, Brian Fitzpatrick, R-Pa. and Tom Barrett, R-Mich., supporting it.<\/p>\n<p class=\"EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy \">The measure sought to require congressional authorization for continued U.S. military involvement, but Senate Republicans blocked it on Thursday.<\/p>\n<p class=\"EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy \">&#8220;Let me explain this absurd ruse: The Pentagon is pretending there have been two Iran wars separated by a brief cease-fire,\u201d Massie said in a statement Thursday, adding that Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth was breaking the law and \u201cmust be held accountable\u201d for waging war without Capitol Hill\u2019s approval.<\/p>\n<p class=\"EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy \">When asked last week about the shift in the casualty numbers, Acting Pentagon Press Secretary Joel Valdez said the website was experiencing technical issues and made no mention of any recalculations of the dead and wounded, saying in a statement that, &#8220;site anomalies are currently being resolved in coordination with the military services.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p class=\"EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC eTIW sUzSN \"><em class=\" \">ABC News&#8217; Luis Martinez contributed to this report.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<script async=\"async\" data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"https:\/\/pl30214220.effectivecpmnetwork.com\/9ab3d4df8a7e1a6171e16ddbf732cc19\/invoke.js\"><\/script>\r\n<div id=\"container-9ab3d4df8a7e1a6171e16ddbf732cc19\"><\/div>\r\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Pentagon has updated its public-facing casualty database after abruptly revising its Iran war casualty figures last week, when it reduced the number of U.S. troops listed as killed in Operation Epic Fury from 18 to 14 and removed dozens of wounded service members from that tally. The Defense Department now appears to be tracking&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":18468,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/i.abcnewsfe.com\/a\/7fe91087-7893-4272-bf3e-dab455a3712c\/donald-trump-9-ap-gmh-260722_1784736201871_hpMain_16x9.jpg?w=1600","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[22],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-18467","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-abc-news"],"brizy_media":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18467","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=18467"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18467\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/18468"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=18467"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=18467"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=18467"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}