U.S. Military Casualty Statistics: Operation
New Dawn, Operation Iraqi Freedom, and
Operation Enduring Freedom
Hannah Fischer
Information Research Specialist
September 28, 2010
Congressional Research Service
7-5700
www.crs.gov
RS22452
CRS Report for Congress
P
repared for Members and Committees of Congress
U.S. Military Casualty Statistics: OND, OIF, and OEF
Summary
This report presents difficult-to-find statistics regarding U.S. military casualties in Operation New
Dawn (OND), Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF), and Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF,
Afghanistan), including those concerning post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), traumatic brain
injury (TBI), amputations, evacuations, and the demographics of casualties. Some of these
statistics are publicly available at the Department of Defense’s (DOD’s) website, while others
have been obtained through contact with experts at DOD.
Daily updates of total U.S. military casualties in OND, OIF, and OEF can be found at the DOD’s
website, at http://www.defenselink.mil/news/casualty.pdf. In addition, CRS Report R40824, Iraq
Casualties: U.S. Military Forces and Iraqi Civilians, Police, and Security Forces, contains
statistics on U.S. military and Iraqi civilian casualties, while CRS Report R41084, Afghanistan
Casualties: Military Forces and Civilians, contains statistics on U.S. military and Afghan civilian
casualties.
This report will be updated as needed.
Congressional Research Service
U.S. Military Casualty Statistics: OND, OIF, and OEF
Contents
Operation New Dawn.................................................................................................................. 1
Rates of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, Traumatic Brain Injury, and Amputation....................... 1
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder ............................................................................................. 1
Traumatic Brain Injury.......................................................................................................... 3
Amputations ......................................................................................................................... 4
Gender Distribution of Deaths..................................................................................................... 5
Race/Ethnicity Distribution of Deaths ......................................................................................... 5
Self-Inflicted Wounds ................................................................................................................. 6
Medical Evacuation Statistics for U.S. Military Personnel ........................................................... 7
Operation Iraqi Freedom ....................................................................................................... 7
Operation Enduring Freedom ................................................................................................ 7
Figures
Figure 1. Annual Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Diagnoses in All Services ................................ 2
Figure 2. Severity of Traumatic Brain Injury Diagnoses .............................................................. 4
Tables
Table 1. Annual New Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Diagnoses in All Services.......................... 2
Table 2. Traumatic Brain Injuries in the U.S. Military.................................................................. 3
Table 3. Count of Individuals with Amputations by Service for OIF, OEF, and
Unaffiliated Conflicts, 2001 to September 1, 2010.................................................................... 4
Table 4. OIF Gender Distribution of Deaths ................................................................................ 5
Table 5. OEF Gender Distribution of Deaths ............................................................................... 5
Table 6. OIF Race/ Ethnicity Distribution of Deaths .................................................................... 6
Table 7. OEF Race/Ethnicity Distribution of Deaths .................................................................... 6
Table 8. OIF Medical Reasons for Evacuations............................................................................ 7
Table 9. OEF Medical Reasons for Evacuation ............................................................................ 8
Contacts
Author Contact Information ........................................................................................................ 8
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U.S. Military Casualty Statistics: OND, OIF, and OEF
Operation New Dawn
On August 31, 2010, President Obama announced that the U.S. combat mission in Iraq had ended.
A transitional force of U.S. troops will remain in Iraq with a different mission: “advising and
assisting Iraq’s Security Forces, supporting Iraqi troops in targeted counterterrorism missions, and
protecting our civilians.”1
As of September 28, 2010, six servicemembers have died in Operation New Dawn (OND). Also,
16 servicemembers in OND have been wounded and not returned to duty and 14 servicemembers
in OND have been wounded and returned to duty.2
Rates of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, Traumatic
Brain Injury, and Amputation
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
The U.S. Army Office of the Surgeon General provided the statistics below on the incidence of
post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) cases. A case of PTSD is defined as an individual having at
least two outpatient visits or one or more hospitalizations at which PTSD was diagnosed. The
threshold of two or more outpatient visits is used to increase the likelihood that the individual
actually had PTSD.
A single visit on record commonly reflects someone who was evaluated for possible PTSD, but
did not actually meet the established criteria for diagnosis. In addition, although the diagnosis of
PTSD occurred at some point after the individual deployed, there is no way to determine that the
PTSD resulted from an event associated with the deployment, that is, it could have resulted from
an event that occurred after return from or prior to a deployment.3
The Army has 67% of the cases, the Air Force has 9%, the Navy has 11%, and the Marines have
13%. Table 1 and Figure 1 present yearly PTSD diagnoses for all services.
1 The White House, Office of the Press Secretary, Remarks by the President in Address to the Nation on the End of
Combat Operations in Iraq, August 31, 2010, at http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2010/08/31/remarks-
president-address-nation-end-combat-operations-iraq.
2 Department of Defense, “Operation New Dawn Casualty Status,” at http://www.defenselink.mil/news/casualty.pdf.
3 Personal communication with CRS from Department of Defense Office of the Secretary of Defense liaison,
September 21, 2010.
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U.S. Military Casualty Statistics: OND, OIF, and OEF
Table 1. Annual New Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Diagnoses in All Services
As of September 7, 2010
Year Not
Deployed Deployed
2000 1,614
0
2001 1,703
0
2002 1,709 138
2003 1,524 1,169
2004 1,577 3,901
2005 1,648 6,788
2006 1,714 7,762
2007 2,069 11,660
2008 2,371 14,183
2009 2,432 13,595
2010 1,423 7,739
Total 21,784 66,935
Source: Personal communication with Dr. Michael Carino, Army Office of the Surgeon General, September 21,
2010. Data source is the Defense Medical Surveillance System (DMSS).
Figure 1. Annual Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Diagnoses in All Services
As of September 7, 2010
16,000
14,000
12,000
10,000
Not Deployed
8,000
Deployed
6,000
4,000
2,000
0
2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010
Source: Personal communication with Dr. Michael Carino, Army Office of the Surgeon General, September 21,
2010. Data source is the Defense Medical Surveillance System (DMSS).
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U.S. Military Casualty Statistics: OND, OIF, and OEF
Traumatic Brain Injury
The Defense and Veterans Brain Injury Center gives the following incidence of traumatic brain
injury (TBI):
Table 2. Traumatic Brain Injuries in the U.S. Military
2000 to 2010 Q1
Calendar
Year
2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010
Q1a
Total
Incident
10,963 11,830 12,469 12,886 13,271 12,025 16,873 23,002 28,557 27,862 7,604 178,876
Diagnoses
Source: The Defense and Veterans Brain Injury Center, http://www.dvbic.org/TBI-Numbers.aspx, last updated
on May 20, 2010.
a. Q1 covers January to March 2010.
Of the total 178,876 TBI cases since 2000, 137,328 have been mild, 30,893 have been moderate,
1,891 have been severe, 3,175 have been penetrating, and 5,589 have not been classifiable.4
Figure 2 shows the relative rates of mild, moderate, severe, penetrating, and not classifiable
TBIs.
4 Defense and Veterans Brain Injury Center at http://www.dvbic.org/TBI-Numbers.aspx. The DOD categorizes TBI
cases as mild, moderate, severe, or penetrating. Mild TBI is characterized by a confused or disoriented state lasting less
than 24 hour; loss of consciousness for up to thirty minutes; memory loss lasting less than 24 hours; and structural brain
imaging that yields normal results. Moderate TBI is characterized by a confused or disoriented state that lasts more
than 24 hours; loss of consciousness for more than 30 minutes, but less than 24 hours; memory loss lasting greater than
24 hours but less than seven days; and structural brain imaging yielding normal or abnormal results. Severe TBI is
characterized by a confused or disoriented state that lasts more than 24 hours; loss of consciousness for more than 24
hours; memory loss for more than seven days; and structural brain imaging yielding normal or abnormal results. A
penetrating TBI, or open head injury, is a head injury in which the dura mater, the outer layer of the system of
membranes that envelops the central nervous system, is penetrated. Penetrating injuries can be caused by high-velocity
projectiles or objects of lower velocity, such as knives, or bone fragments from a skull fracture that are driven into the
brain.
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U.S. Military Casualty Statistics: OND, OIF, and OEF
Figure 2. Severity of Traumatic Brain Injury Diagnoses
Mild
Moderate
Severe
Penetrating
Not Classifiable
Source: Defense and Veterans Brain Injury Center at http://www.dvbic.org/TBI-Numbers.aspx.
Amputations
Table 3 shows the number of individuals with amputations for OIF, OEF, and unaffiliated
conflicts. The total number of amputations in all conflicts is 1,621.
Table 3. Count of Individuals with Amputations by Service for OIF, OEF, and
Unaffiliated Conflicts, 2001 to September 1, 2010
Theater Type
of Army Marine Navy Air Foreign Other Total
Amputation
Force
OIF
Major
Limb
620
158
18 8 4 8 816
Partial
272 49 7 11 0 3 342
(Hand/Foot,
Toes/Fingers)
OEF
Major
Limb
145
53 5 6 4 4 217
Partial
24 6 0 2 0 0 32
(Hand/Foot,
Toes/Fingers)
Unaffiliated Major Limb
94
12
25
31
1
26
189
Conflicts
Partial
20 1 2 1 0 1 25
(Hand/Foot,
Toes/Fingers)
Total
1,621
Source: Personal correspondence with Dr. Michael J. Carino, Army Office of the Surgeon General, September
21, 2010.
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U.S. Military Casualty Statistics: OND, OIF, and OEF
Gender Distribution of Deaths
Tables 4 and 5 provide statistics on the gender distribution of OIF and OEF casualties (also
available on DOD’s website, http://siadapp.dmdc.osd.mil/personnel/CASUALTY/castop.htm). All
numbers for OIF and OEF are current as of August 31, 2010. Percentages may not total 100 due
to rounding. As of September 28, 2010, all six servicemembers who have died in OND were
male.5
Table 4. OIF Gender Distribution of Deaths
Gender
Military Deaths
% of Total Deaths
Male 4,298
97.5
Female 110
2.5
Total 4,408
100.0
Source: DOD, Operation Iraqi Freedom—Military Deaths, at http://siadapp.dmdc.osd.mil/personnel/
CASUALTY/oif-deaths-total.pdf.
Table 5. OEF Gender Distribution of Deaths
Gender
Military Deaths
% of Total Deaths
Male 1,242
98.4
Female 20
1.6
Total 1,262
100.0
Source: DOD, Operation Enduring Freedom—Military Deaths, at http://siadapp.dmdc.osd.mil/personnel/
CASUALTY/oefdeaths.pdf.
Race/Ethnicity Distribution of Deaths
Tables 6 and 7 provide statistics on the race and ethnicity distribution of OIF and OEF casualties
(also on DOD’s website, http://siadapp.dmdc.osd.mil/personnel/CASUALTY/castop.htm). All
numbers for OIF and OEF are current as of September 4, 2010. Percentages may not total 100
due to rounding. As of September 28, 2010, four servicemembers who have died in OND were
white and two were black or African American.6
5 Department of Defense, “Operation New Dawn Casualty Status,” at http://www.defenselink.mil/news/casualty.pdf.
6 Ibid.
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U.S. Military Casualty Statistics: OND, OIF, and OEF
Table 6. OIF Race/ Ethnicity Distribution of Deaths
Race/Ethnicity
Military Deaths
% of Total Deaths
American Indian/Alaska Native
42
1.0
Asian 82
1.9
Black or African American
429
9.7
Hispanic or Latino
466
10.6
Multiple races, pending, or unknown
48
1.1
Native Hawai an or Pacific Islander
51
1.2
White 3,290
74.6
Total 4,408
100
Source: DOD, Operation Iraqi Freedom—Military Deaths, at http://siadapp.dmdc.osd.mil/personnel/
CASUALTY/oif-deaths-total.pdf.
Table 7. OEF Race/Ethnicity Distribution of Deaths
Race/Ethnicity
Military Deaths
% of Total Deaths
American Indian or Alaska Native
17
1.3
Asian 19
1.5
Black or African American
90
7.1
Hispanic or Latino
100
7.9
Multiple races, pending or unknown
14
1.1
Native Hawai an or Pacific Islander
14
1.1
White 1,008
80.0
Total 1,262
100
Source: DOD, Operation Enduring Freedom—Military Deaths, at http://siadapp.dmdc.osd.mil/personnel/
CASUALTY/oefdeaths.pdf.
Self-Inflicted Wounds
According to DOD’s casualty website, as of August 31, 2010, 216 servicemembers have died of
self-inflicted wounds while serving in OIF and 44 have died of self-inflicted wounds while
serving in OEF.7 No information is yet available concerning cause of death for the six
servicemembers who have died in OND.
7 Department of Defense Personnel and Procurement Statistics, Statistical Information and Analysis Department, OIF at
http://siadapp.dmdc.osd.mil/personnel/CASUALTY/oif-total.pdf and OEF at http://siadapp.dmdc.osd.mil/personnel/
CASUALTY/wotsum.pdf.
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U.S. Military Casualty Statistics: OND, OIF, and OEF
Medical Evacuation Statistics for U.S.
Military Personnel
U.S. military personnel evacuation statistics as of August 31, 2010, for OIF and September 4,
2010, for OEF can be found at the DOD websites, http://siadapp.dmdc.osd.mil/personnel/
CASUALTY/oif-total.pdf for OIF and http://siadapp.dmdc.osd.mil/personnel/CASUALTY/
wotsum.pdf. Evacuation statistics for OND are not yet available.
Operation Iraqi Freedom
According to DOD, a total of 49,390 individuals were medically evacuated from OIF from March
19, 2003, to August 31, 2010. Of the total number of medical evacuations, 40,436 were non-
hostile-related medical air transports, and the remaining 8,954 were for servicemembers who
were wounded in action. Percentages may not total 100 due to rounding.
Table 8. OIF Medical Reasons for Evacuations
(as of August 31, 2010)
Number Percentage
Wounded in Action
8,954
18.1%
Non-Hostile Injuriesa 10,383
21.0%
Disease/Other Medical
30,053
60.1%
Total 49,390
100%
Source: Department of Defense, Defense Manpower Data Center, http://siadapp.dmdc.osd.mil/personnel/
CASUALTY/oif-total.pdf.
a. The Department of Defense defines a “non-hostile injury” as an injury that is not directly attributable to
hostile action or terrorist activity, such as casualties due to the elements, self-inflicted wounds, or combat
fatigue.
Operation Enduring Freedom
According to DOD, a total of 13,851 individuals were medically evacuated from OEF from
October 7, 2001, through August 31, 2010. Of the total number of medical evacuations, 11,063
were non-hostile-related medical air transports, and the remaining 2,788 were for servicemembers
who were wounded in action. Percentages may not total 100 due to rounding.
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U.S. Military Casualty Statistics: OND, OIF, and OEF
Table 9. OEF Medical Reasons for Evacuation
(as of August 31, 2010)
Number
Percentage
Wounded in Action
2,788
20.1%
Non-Hostile Injuriesa
2,771
20.0%
Disease/Other Medical
8,292
60.0%
Total 13,851
100%
Source: Department of Defense, Deployment Health Support Directorate, http://siadapp.dmdc.osd.mil/
personnel/CASUALTY/wotsum.pdf.
a. The Department of Defense defines a “non-hostile injury” as an injury that is not directly attributable to
hostile action or terrorist activity, such as casualties due to the elements, self-inflicted wounds, or combat
fatigue.
Author Contact Information
Hannah Fischer
Information Research Specialist
hfischer@crs.loc.gov, 7-8989
Congressional Research Service
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