Veterans groups have expressed concern over the ways the Pentagon is categorizing the casualties of the Iran war in its publicly available database meant to keep the public informed about the human costs of a given conflict.That database, known as the Defense Casualty Analysis System, has the U.S. war in Iran that began on Feb. 28, 2026, into two separate conflicts, one from that date through July 6, called “Operation Epic Fury,” and another broadly labeled “Overseas Operations,” which spans from July 7 and is updated daily.Eighteen U.S. service members have been killed since the beginning of the conflict, 14 of whom were killed during Operation Epic Fury, as defined by DCAS, and four who were killed after that operation ended. It currently lists 417 troops wounded during Epic Fury, and then 268 more since July 7, for a total of 685 service members wounded.
“Since Operation Epic Fury has concluded, the Department classifies casualties as overseas operations in the CENTCOM area of responsibility,” a War Department official told the Washington Examiner.The July 7 date coincides with when President Donald Trump informed Congress that new hostilities with Iran began in a War Powers notification. The War Powers Act gives a president 60 days from the start of a conflict to get Congress to approve additional military operations, or if not, they have to end it or ask for a 30-day extension. The administration said the first 60-day period ended when the ceasefire commenced in April.“Our Founders gave Congress war powers because they believed decisions about war demanded public debate and legislative oversight,” Concerned Veterans for America’s (CVA) Policy Director Tyler Koteskey told the Washington Examiner. “If the executive branch can set a dangerous precedent of simply reclassifying one conflict as a series of separate operations to circumvent war powers, Congress’s constitutional responsibility is severely weakened. Oversight and the power of the purse only work when Congress receives a clear and accurate accounting of the conflict.”President Donald Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth salute as a U.S. Army carry team moves a transfer case containing the remains of Pvt. Isabella Gonzales of Carrollton, Texas, Wednesday, July 22, 2026, at Dover Air Force Base, Del. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)
