Pentagon, under Trump, Hegseth, draws curtain tighter around Iran War

The Pentagon is drawing wide-ranging scrutiny over its increasing opacity about the mounting toll from the Iran war. 

From reclassifying the deaths and injuries of service members and not disclosing how many targets were hit during recent airstrikes against Iran, to refusing to hold press conferences, the department is coming under scrutiny for not being more open about a war that has dragged on for more than five months with no end in sight. 

Pentagon officials argue the limited disclosure of information is necessary to shield operational security, but critics say it is keeping the public in the dark, which could have long-term implications. 

“It certainly feels like this is the least transparent Pentagon in recent memory, and basically every chance they have, they choose to make it harder for reporters and the public to get information that’s vital to the public interest,” said Clayton Weimers, executive director of the North American branch of Reporters Without Borders. 

The Pentagon, which has worked to curtail press access to the building under Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, has come under fire after revising Iran casualty numbers.

The department reduced the number of U.S. service members killed during Operation Epic Fury from 18 to 14 and removed dozens of wounded troops from its public casualty database, which defense officials contended is the accurate tracker of overseas casualties. 

Last week, the Pentagon said it was aware of “temporary data disruptions” on the Defense Casualty Analysis System (DCAS) website and that the “anomalies are currently being resolved in coordination” with the military services. 

Now the Pentagon is listing the number of casualties and wounded service members in the DCAS under a new category generically labeled as “Overseas Operations” — a separate rubric from the figures related to Operation Epic Fury, the name of the U.S. military’s war against Iran.

“Overseas Operations” tracks deaths and injuries since July 7, which is when hostilities between the U.S. and Iran ramped up, but it is unclear how defense officials are characterizing “overseas operations” and if the tally is strictly counting the Iran war, which began on Feb. 28. 

When combining the figures on DCAS — the Pentagon’s premier public database to track war casualties — 18 service members have been killed in the Iran war and 642 have been wounded as of Tuesday evening. Defense officials say most of those who have been injured have returned to duty. 

The fluctuation of numbers prompted 12 Senate Democrats — led by Sen. Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii), who sits on the Senate Armed Services Committee — to ask Hegseth about the Pentagon’s handling of DCAS and to inquire about how many service members have been........

© The Hill