Two unidentified service members in the U.S. Air Force died last week in non-hostile deaths of US airmen, increasing the American death toll associated with the war in Iran to 23, according to newly updated Pentagon casualty data.
The Defense Casualty Analysis System, or DCAS, lists both airmen under its non-hostile category, indicating their deaths were not the result of direct combat. One death is recorded as illness or injury related. The other is marked pending, the database shows.
An Air Force spokesperson said one of the deceased was on active duty and the other served in the Air National Guard. The Air Force has not released their names. While Department of Defense policy normally calls for public identification 24 hours after next of kin notification, the spokesperson declined to explain why the names have not been disclosed or address whether the families have been contacted.
According to DCAS entries, both were white men and mid- to senior-enlisted members, holding grades E5 through E9. One was between 31 and 35 years old. The other was older than 35.
The spokesperson said one airman died within U.S. Central Command’s area of responsibility, which extends from Northeast Africa across the Middle East to Central and South Asia. The other died in the United States. The spokesperson would not say from which location the second airman had been operating or how he returned to the U.S.
U.S. Central Command referred questions to the Air Force. The Air Force spokesperson said the case listed as pending remains under investigation, without specifying the investigating authority.
DCAS previously showed another pending case involving an Army captain who experienced a medical emergency aboard a military flight en route to Saudi Arabia in late September.
Non-hostile deaths of US airmen listed under Overseas Operations
DCAS places the two new Air Force deaths under the Pentagon’s Overseas Operations category rather than Operation Epic Fury. A Pentagon official said the change reflects the U.S. view that Epic Fury has concluded. Overseas Operations in DCAS carries a start date of July 7, aligned with the ongoing U.S. pressure campaign against Iran.
Officials have not publicly stated the precise date Epic Fury ended. A defense official previously cited May 5.
The Pentagon’s categorization has drawn criticism from some Democratic members of Congress, who have accused Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth of obscuring casualty reporting by using the Overseas Operations label.
The Overseas Operations category now lists eight service members killed, evenly split between hostile and non-hostile. Combined with the 15 deaths recorded under Operation Epic Fury, total U.S. fatalities linked to the war in Iran since it began on Feb. 28 stand at 23, according to DCAS.
Since the start of the conflict, 866 U.S. personnel have been wounded in action across both categories. DCAS attributes 417 of those to Operation Epic Fury and 449 to Overseas Operations.
The Air Force has also drawn attention in recent months for major procurement moves, including when the USAF moves ARRW hypersonic missile into production under separate programs.