The U.S. military’s death toll from the ongoing war in Iran has quietly climbed to 23 — and two of the most recent losses weren’t from enemy fire. Last week, two American airmen died in what the Pentagon classifies as “non-hostile” incidents, adding to a growing list of service members whose deaths have come under scrutiny over how the government reports and categorizes them.
The two airmen’s deaths appear in the Pentagon’s Defense Casualty Analysis System (DCAS) under the “non-hostile” label, meaning neither death resulted from direct combat. One is attributed to illness or injury, while the other remains listed as “pending” and is currently under investigation — though the Air Force has not said which department is conducting the inquiry.
One of the two was an active-duty Air Force member; the other served in the Air National Guard. Both were white men holding mid- to senior-enlisted ranks between E5 and E9. One was between 31 and 35 years old, the other over 35, according to DCAS data.
Names Still Withheld
Under standard Department of Defense policy, the identities of fallen service members are made public within 24 hours of notifying their next of kin. As of now, the Air Force has not released the names of either airman. An Air Force spokesperson declined to explain the delay or confirm whether the families have been contacted.
One airman died within the U.S. Central Command’s area of responsibility — a broad region stretching from Northeast Africa through the Middle East and into Central and South Asia. The other died on U.S. soil, though the Air Force did not explain how that service member was transported home or where they had been deployed. CENTCOM directed questions to the Air Force when contacted for comment.
How the Pentagon Is Counting the Dead
The two airmen’s deaths are categorized under “Overseas Operations” in DCAS rather than under Operation Epic Fury — the named U.S. military operation that began when the war in Iran started on Feb. 28. Pentagon officials say this is because the U.S. considers Epic Fury to have concluded, though officials have been vague about the exact end date. A defense official previously told Military Times that May 5 was the date Epic Fury was deemed terminated. The Overseas Operations category carries a start date of July 7, reflecting the continued U.S. pressure campaign against Iran.
When both categories are combined, the total stands at 23 American fatalities since the conflict began. Operation Epic Fury accounts for 15 of those deaths, while the Overseas Operations category — now including the two newly reported airmen — accounts for eight, split evenly between four hostile and four non-hostile deaths.
Beyond fatalities, the war has also left 866 service members wounded in action across both categories. Of those, 417 wounds occurred under Operation Epic Fury and 449 under the Overseas Operations designation, according to DCAS.
Congressional Criticism
The Pentagon’s decision to shift casualties into the Overseas Operations category has drawn sharp pushback from Democratic members of Congress, who have accused Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth of using the reclassification to obscure the true human cost of the conflict. The concern centers on whether the category change makes it harder for the public — and lawmakers — to track wartime losses in a transparent way.
The case of the airman listed as “pending” echoes another unresolved death in the DCAS system. An Army captain suffered a medical incident aboard a military flight bound for Saudi Arabia in late September, and that death also remains listed as “pending” in the system.
