The Pentagon updated its war casualty database on Saturday, recording more than 140 wounded service members and restoring four killed troops under a new Overseas Operations
category.
The U.S. Department of Defense adjusted its casualty tracking figures over the weekend in the Defense Casualty Analysis System, restoring four service members killed in Jordan and Iraq earlier this month. Those four deaths were initially logged under Operation Epic Fury, but temporarily vanished from the database last week following an administrative reclassification tied to a disputed ceasefire timeline.
The database now separates those fallen personnel into a new category labeled Overseas Operations
for casualties occurring starting July 7,
according to database records. The four service members listed under this designation are 1st Lt. Tyler James Feehan, Sgt. Angel S. Rampersad, Pvt. Isabella Gonzales, and Sgt. Michael Emmanuel Swinton.
Disputed Ceasefire Timelines and the War Powers Clock
The administrative restructuring stems from a fundamental disagreement over presidential authority and the War Powers Act of 1973. That federal law requires the president to end military operations within 60 days unless Congress authorizes an extension. The Trump administration argues that an April ceasefire with Iran paused the clock on May 1 for the conflict’s initial phase, meaning military actions initiated after the July 7 resumption constitute a separate operational period.
Lawmakers from both parties have challenged that interpretation, arguing that the administration is resetting the clock to avoid mandatory congressional authorization. During a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing, Republican Senator Lisa Murkowski of Alaska questioned Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth directly about the maneuver.
“The claim essentially allows the president to extinguish the War Powers clock just at the moment that it becomes legally inconvenient … avoiding the congressional authorization that the Constitution requires and the War Powers (Act) intends.”
Lisa Murkowski, U.S. Senator
Secretary of State Marco Rubio defended the administration’s stance during a May White House press briefing, asserting that the law itself is unconstitutional, 100 percent
in its limits on executive war-making authority.
Fluctuating Casualty Counts Draw Scrutiny and Veteran Backlash
Before the weekend update, the Pentagon faced severe bipartisan backlash when casualty figures in the tracking database dropped while Iranian attacks continued. Democratic lawmakers on the Senate Armed Services Committee sent a letter to Defense Secretary Hegseth demanding answers. Meanwhile, Pentagon acting press secretary Joel Valdez attributed the disappearing figures to site errors on the Defense Casualty Analysis System and a temporary data disruption,
Veterans’ advocacy organizations argue the reclassification goes beyond mere data glitches, characterizing the move as an attempt to downplay the human cost of the conflict. Michael E. Smith, a retired U.S. rear admiral and founder of National Security Leaders for America, condemned the update as such a huge disrespect for the families
who lost loved ones.
Tristeza Ordex, a U.S. Marine Corps veteran and national organizer for VoteVets, highlighted the impact of excluding young service members like 19-year-old Pvt. Isabella Gonzales from the primary conflict tally. Gonzales was from Carrollton, Texas.
“Not only are Latinos being excluded from so much more and being targeted: we have this person that paid the ultimate sacrifice for this country who isn’t even being recognized as a casualty of this war, so it feels like erasure.”
Tristeza Ordex, VoteVets national organizer
Wounded Personnel and Transparency Concerns
The updated database figures now place the total death toll at 18 troops since the U.S. launched military actions against Iran on February 28, combined with updated totals for Operation Epic Fury. The wounded count rose significantly to more than 624 personnel, up from a previous peak of 482 tracked earlier. An additional 207 service members are listed as wounded under the newly created Overseas Operations grouping.
Chief Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell addressed the influx of injuries in a statement shared on social media, noting that nearly 100 U.S. service members had been injured since July 7. Parnell stated that 96%
of those injured had returned to duty and that the vast majority experienced minor concussions.
Minor concussions can often be traumatic brain injuries that vary in severity and can display symptoms some time after the initial injury.
Defense officials have not held a formal press briefing on the conflict since May. Lawmakers such as New York Democratic Senator Kirsten Gillibrand maintain that the public and military families are owed complete transparency regarding the ongoing human toll of the deployment.
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