Pentagon raises U.S. troop death toll in Iran war to 21

Pentagon database updated

The Pentagon raised the American service member death toll from U.S. military operations against Iran to 21 late Friday. The change appeared in the department’s public Defense Casualty Analysis System, known as DCAS.

Two noncombat deaths were added to the database: Maj. Sorffly Davius and a Navy sailor whose identity was not listed. A U.S. official familiar with the update confirmed the two additions.

Adding the two deaths raised the public tally from 19 to 21. Both newly listed deaths are classified as noncombat deaths, although they count toward the overall number of American service members who died during the military operations.

What the revision means

The update changes the Pentagon’s public accounting of U.S. military deaths during the Iran war. It does not change the classification of either newly added death: Davius and the Navy sailor remain listed as noncombat deaths rather than combat deaths.

The database now publicly names Davius as one of the additions. The Navy sailor is included in the revised total, but is not identified by name in the updated information.

DCAS is the Pentagon database where the department records and updates casualty totals. Friday’s revision places both noncombat deaths within the overall tally from operations against Iran, bringing that total to 21.