Data from the US Department of War, the Pentagon, showed that 38 US service members—29 sailors and nine Marines—were injured during military operations in the Middle East this September, as the overall number of injuries recorded in operations within the US Central Command area of responsibility rose.
Update to overseas operations injury data
The figures followed an update by the Defence Casualty Analysis System (DCAS), operated by the Defence Manpower Data Centre, under the category of “overseas operations”. The system tracks injuries and deaths among military personnel taking part in military operations in the Middle East.
A US defence official told the Military Times that the department had classified deaths and injuries occurring after 5 May under “overseas operations in the US Central Command area of responsibility”. The classification followed the announcement that Operation Epic Fury had ended on the same date.
Classifying injuries after the operation ended
US President Donald Trump’s administration maintains that ongoing military operations in the Middle East are not an extension of Operation Epic Fury, which Washington launched in cooperation with Israel against Iran on 28 February. According to official data, 19 US service members have been killed and 418 wounded since the war on Iran began.
The number of service members injured during operations in the Middle East has also risen to 443 since May. US Navy leadership declined to disclose the operational circumstances behind the increase recorded in the September data. A Navy official said the updates reflected a recent statistical increase that had been fully verified to ensure the accuracy of service records, confirming that all 29 injured sailors had returned to active duty.
In an incident linked to this total, NBC News quoted three unnamed US officials as saying that eight Marines were injured after an Iranian cruise missile targeted their vessel in the Strait of Hormuz. The officials described the injuries as minor, saying they ranged from smoke inhalation to suspected concussions.
