A Guide to U.S. Military Casualty Statistics:
Operation New Dawn, Operation Iraqi
Freedom, and Operation Enduring Freedom
Hannah Fischer
Information Research Specialist
February 19, 2014
Congressional Research Service
7-5700
www.crs.gov
RS22452
CRS Report for Congress
Pr
epared for Members and Committees of Congress

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U.S. Military Casualty Statistics: OND, OIF, and OEF

Summary
This report presents statistics regarding U.S. military casualties in the active Operation Enduring
Freedom (OEF, Afghanistan), as well as operations that have ended: Operation New Dawn (OND,
Iraq) and Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF, Iraq). This report includes statistics on 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, whereas others have been obtained through contact with experts at
DOD.
This report will be updated as needed.


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U.S. Military Casualty Statistics: OND, OIF, and OEF


Contents
Overall Casualties in OIF, OND, and OEF ...................................................................................... 1
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder ....................................................................................................... 1
Traumatic Brain Injury .................................................................................................................... 3
Major Limb Amputations................................................................................................................. 6
Self-Inflicted Wounds ...................................................................................................................... 7
Gender Distribution of Deaths ......................................................................................................... 8
Race/Ethnicity Distribution of Deaths ............................................................................................. 8

Figures
Figure 1. Annual Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Diagnoses in All Services, 2000-2013 .............. 3
Figure 2. Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) 2000-2013 Q3 by Classification, Deployed and
Not Previously Deployed Combined ............................................................................................ 5
Figure 3. Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) Over Time, 2000-2013 Q3, Deployed and Not
Previously Deployed Combined ................................................................................................... 5
Figure 4. Major-Limb Amputations Due to Battle Injuries in OIF/OND and OEF, 2001-
2013 .............................................................................................................................................. 7

Tables
Table 1. Overall Casualties in OIF, OND, and OEF, 2001-2014 ..................................................... 1
Table 2. Annual New Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Diagnoses in All Services, 2000-
2014 .............................................................................................................................................. 2
Table 3. Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) 2000-2013 Q3 by Classification and Service,
Deployed and Not Previously Deployed Combined ..................................................................... 4
Table 4. Individuals with Battle-Injury Major Limb Amputations for OEF and OIF/OND,
2001-2013 ..................................................................................................................................... 6
Table 5. OIF/OND Gender Distribution of Deaths, 2002-2014 ....................................................... 8
Table 6. OEF Gender Distribution of Deaths, 2001-2014 ............................................................... 8
Table 7. OIF/OND Race/Ethnicity Distribution of Deaths, 2002-2014 ........................................... 8
Table 8. OEF Race/Ethnicity Distribution of Deaths, 2000-2014 ................................................... 9

Contacts
Author Contact Information............................................................................................................. 9

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U.S. Military Casualty Statistics: OND, OIF, and OEF

Overall Casualties in OIF, OND, and OEF
On August 31, 2010, President Obama announced that the U.S. combat mission in Iraq (Operation
Iraqi Freedom, OIF) had ended.1 A transitional force of U.S. troops remained in Iraq under
Operation New Dawn (OND), which ended on December 15, 2011.2 (For more information on
war dates, see CRS Report RS21405, U.S. Periods of War and Dates of Current Conflicts, by
Barbara Salazar Torreon.) Several thousand U.S. civilian personnel, contract personnel, and a
limited number of U.S. military personnel remain in Iraq carrying out U.S. government business
and cooperative programs under the auspices of agreements with the Iraqi government.
Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) began on October 7, 2001, and is primarily located in
Afghanistan. OEF is ongoing.
Table 1 gives the overall casualties in OIF, OND, and OEF.
Table 1. Overall Casualties in OIF, OND, and OEF, 2001-2014
(as of January 10, 2014)
U.S. Department of
U.S. Servicemember
Defense Civilian
U.S. Servicemembers

Deaths
Deaths
Wounded in Action
Operation Iraqi Freedoma
4,410
13
31,942
Operation New Dawnb 66
0
295
Operation Enduring Freedomc 2,299
3
19,572
Source: Table compiled by the Congressional Research Service (CRS).
a. Department of Defense, “Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF) U.S. Casualty Status,” Fatalities as of December 6,
2013, 10 a.m. EDT, at http://www.defense.gov/news/casualty.pdf.
b. Department of Defense, “Operation New Dawn (OND) U.S. Casualty Status,” Fatalities as of December 6,
2013, 10 a.m. EDT, at http://www.defense.gov/news/casualty.pdf.
c. Department of Defense, “Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) U.S. Casualty Status,” Fatalities as of
December 6, 2013, 10 a.m. EDT, at http://www.defense.gov/news/casualty.pdf.
Daily updates of total U.S. military casualties in OND, OIF, and OEF can be found at the
Department of Defense’s (DOD’s) website, at http://www.defense.gov/news/casualty.pdf. In
addition, CRS Report R41084, Afghanistan Casualties: Military Forces and Civilians, contains
statistics on Afghan civilian casualties as well as regular updates on American and coalition
fatalities in OEF.
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
The U.S. Army Office of the Surgeon General (OSG), using the Defense Medical Surveillance
System (DMSS), provided the statistics below on the incidence of post-traumatic stress disorder
(PTSD) cases. According to Dr. Michael Carino of the OSG, a case of PTSD is defined as an

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 Remarks by the President and First Lady on the End of the War in Iraq, December 14, 2011, at
http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2011/12/14/remarks-president-and-first-lady-end-war-iraq.
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U.S. Military Casualty Statistics: OND, OIF, and OEF

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 in the DMSS to increase the
likelihood that the individual has, or had, PTSD. A single visit on record commonly reflects
someone who was evaluated for possible PTSD, but did not actually meet the criteria for
diagnosis.
All those who have been diagnosed as having PTSD during deployment were diagnosed at least
30 days after the individual deployed. However, it is not possible to be certain that the PTSD
resulted from an event associated with the deployment. The PTSD could have resulted from an
event that occurred prior to a deployment.3
Table 2 and Figure 1 present yearly PTSD diagnoses for all services.
Table 2. Annual New Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Diagnoses in All Services, 2000-
2014
(as of January 10. 2014)
Incident Cases
Incident Cases
Year
(Not Previously Deployed)
Among OEF/OIF/OND Deployed
2000 1,611
—
2001 1,700
—
2002 1,741
92
2003 1,740 977
2004 2,228 3,468
2005 2,396 6,560
2006 2,162 7,512
2007 2,583 11,531
2008 2,895 14,199
2009 2,951 13,863
2010 2,951 14,725
2011 3,072 15,831
2012 3,139 17,438
2013 2,988 12,632
2014 (as of January 10)
0
1
TOTAL 34,157
118,829
Source: CRS communication with Dr. Michael Carino, Army Office of the Surgeon General, January 10, 2014. Data
source is the Defense Medical Surveillance System (DMSS).

3 CRS communication with 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

Figure 1. Annual Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Diagnoses in All Services, 2000-
2013
(as of January 10, 2014)
25,000
20,000
15,000
ses
Ca
SD 10,000
PT
5,000
0
2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013
Total
Incident cases (not previously deployed)
Incident cases among OEF/OIF/OND deployers

Source: CRS communication with Dr. Michael Carino, Army Office of the Surgeon General, January 10, 2014.
Data source is the Defense Medical Surveillance System (DMSS).
Traumatic Brain Injury
Many of the statistics on traumatic brain injury are available to the public at the Defense and
Veterans Brain Injury Center (http://dvbic.dcoe.mil/dod-worldwide-numbers-tbi). Unlike the
PTSD numbers, which are broken out by those deployed and those not previously deployed, the
TBI numbers represent medical diagnoses of TBI that occurred anywhere U.S. forces are located,
including the continental United States.4
Table 3 and Figure 2 show the relative rates of mild, moderate, severe, penetrating, and not
classifiable TBIs whereas Figure 3 shows the number of TBI diagnoses over time.


4 Defense and Veterans Brain Injury Center at http://www.dvbic.org/dod-worldwide-numbers-tbi. 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 hours; loss of consciousness for up to 30 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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Table 3. Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) 2000-2013 Q3 by Classification and Service, Deployed and Not Previously Deployed
Combined
(as of January 10, 2014)
2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 Totals
Army Severe
or
Penetrating
199 198 174 206 256 275 349 428 548 648 379 357 248 116 4,381
Moderate
591 612 560 560 740 780 878 1,353
1,242
1,167
1,102
1,069 916 754 12,324
Mild
3,167 3,678 4,074 4,454 5,521 6,238 7,866 12,402 15,245 15,152 15,793 17,346 16,102 10,235 137,273
Not
Classifiable
675 507 436 287 225 271 170 336 2,583
1,872
1,306
2,175
1,938
1,550
14,331
Total
4,632 4,995 5,244 5,507 6,742 7,564 9,263 14,519 19,618 18,839 18,580 20,947 19,204 12,655 168,309
Navy Severe
or
Penetrating
88 113 90 91 98 81 54 57 46 46 43 44 38 20 909
Moderate
346 367 312 340 292 336 229 261 223 194 169 174 200 144 3,587
Mild
1,475 1,617 2,023 2,093 2,351 2,377 2,320 2,442 2,482 2,677 2,554 2,662 2,937 2,076 32,086
Not
Classifiable 555 364 258 211 71 62 62 64 69 91 87 143 130 97 2,264
Total
2,464 2,461 2,683 2,735 2,812 2,856 2,665 2,824 2,820 3,008 2,853 3,023 3,305 2,337 38,846
Air
Force
Severe
or
Penetrating
75 78 67 81 67 63 55 57 49 52 48 61 43 30 826
Moderate
331 317 278 252 248 232 220 225 208 232 220 193 202 155 3,313
Mild
1,430 1,698 1,947 2,216 2,366 2,282 2,255 2,410 2,298 2,887 3,058 3,141 3,267 2,250 33,505
Not
Classifiable
241 155 132 76 128 78 41 46 70 64 71 129 143 110 1,484
Total
2,077 2,248 2,424 2,625 2,809 2,655 2,571 2,738 2,625 3,235 3,397 3,524 3,655 2,545 39,128
Marines
Severe
or
Penetrating
90 86 60 75 97 92 89 86 74 90 74 97 68 30 1,108
Moderate
343 374 291 275 294 269 295 391 254 282 324 322 210 171 4,095
Mild
1,107 1,313 1,604 1,518 1,692 2,009 2,123 2,634 3,008 3,292 3,797 4,396 3,705 2,298 34,496
Not
Classifiable 245 142 101 80 73 86 31 25 63 131 163 316 259 214
1,929
Total
1,785 1,915 2,056 1,948 2,156 2,456 2,538 3,136 3,399 3,795 4,358 5,131 4,242 2,713 41,628

Grand
Total
10,958 11,619 12,407 12,815 14,519 15,531 17,037 23,217 28,462 28,877 29,188 32,625 30,406 20,250 287,911
Source: CRS communication with Dr. Michael Carino, Army Office of the Surgeon General, January 10, 2012. Data source is Defense Medical Surveillance System
(DMSS), Defense and Veterans Brain Injury Center, http://www.dvbic.org/dod-worldwide-numbers-tbi.
Note: “Not Classifiable” indicates additional incident information is required prior to TBI categorization.
CRS-4

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U.S. Military Casualty Statistics: OND, OIF, and OEF

Figure 2. Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) 2000-2013 Q3 by Classification, Deployed and
Not Previously Deployed Combined
(as of January 10, 2014)
2.5%
6.9%
8.1%
Severe or Penetrating TBI
Moderate TBI
Mild TBI
Not Classifiable*
82.4%

Source: CRS communication with Dr. Michael Carino, Army Office of the Surgeon General, January 10, 2014.
Data source is Defense Medical Surveillance System (DMSS), Defense and Veterans Brain Injury Center,
http://www.dvbic.org/dod-worldwide-numbers-tbi.
Note: “Not Classifiable” indicates additional incident information is required prior to TBI categorization.
Figure 3. Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) Over Time, 2000-2013 Q3, Deployed and Not
Previously Deployed Combined
(as of January 10, 2014)
35,000
30,000
25,000
ses 20,000
o
n
15,000
Diag
en 10,000
cid
In
5,000
-
2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013
Total
Severe or Penetrating TBI
Moderate TBI
Not Classifiable*
Mild TBI

Source: CRS communication with Dr. Michael Carino, Army Office of the Surgeon General, January 10, 2014.
Data source is Defense Medical Surveillance System (DMSS), Defense and Veterans Brain Injury Center,
http://www.dvbic.org/dod-worldwide-numbers-tbi.
Note: “Not Classifiable” indicates additional incident information is required prior to TBI categorization.
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U.S. Military Casualty Statistics: OND, OIF, and OEF

Major Limb Amputations5
Table 4 shows the number of individuals with battle-injury major limb amputations for OIF/OND
and OEF. A major limb amputation includes the loss of one or more limbs, the loss of one or more
partial limbs, or the loss of one or more full or partial hand or foot. The total number of
amputations in OIF/OND and OEF as of December 31, 2013, is 1,558.
Table 4. Individuals with Battle-Injury Major Limb Amputations for OEF and
OIF/OND, 2001-2013
(as of December 31, 2013)
Injury Date
OEF
OIF/OND
Total (OEF, OIF, OND)
2001 0 0
0
2002 0 0
0
2003 9 68
77
2004 6 149
155
2005 16 145
161
2006 9 148
157
2007 13 195
208
2008 27 66
93
2009 62 22
84
2010 202 1
203
2011 248 2
250
2012 140 0
140
2013 30 0
30
Source: CRS communication with Dr. Michael Carino, Army Office of the Surgeon General, January 10, 2014

5 The previous update of this report included major and minor limb amputations. However, statistics on minor limb
amputations were not available for this update.
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U.S. Military Casualty Statistics: OND, OIF, and OEF

From 2003 until the first quarter of 2009, the majority of the major limb amputations due to battle
injuries occurred in OIF. In the second quarter of 2009, however, the trend changed, and since
that time the majority of the major limb amputations due to battle injuries have occurred in OEF.
Figure 4 charts the number of major-limb amputations due to a battle injury in OIF/OND and
OEF from 2001 through December 31, 2013 for all services.
Figure 4. Major-Limb Amputations Due to Battle Injuries
in OIF/OND and OEF, 2001-2013
(as of December 21, 2013)
300
250
on
ti
ta
u
p 200
m
A
mb
r Li 150
ajo
y, M 100
nur
I
le
att
50
B
0
2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013
Total (OEF, OIF, OND)
OEF
OIF/OND

Source: CRS communication with Dr. Michael J. Carino, Army Office of the Surgeon General, January 10, 2014.
Data from DOD-VA Extremity Trauma & Amputation Center of Excel ence (EACE).
Self-Inflicted Wounds
According to DOD’s casualty website, as of January 6, 2014, 235 servicemembers died of self-
inflicted wounds while serving in OIF/OND and 107 died of self-inflicted wounds while serving
in OEF.6

6 Department of Defense Personnel and Procurement Statistics, Statistical Information and Analysis Department, OIF at
https://www.dmdc.osd.mil/dcas/pages/report_oif_type.xhtml, OND at https://www.dmdc.osd.mil/dcas/pages/
report_ond_type.xhtml, and OEF at https://www.dmdc.osd.mil/dcas/pages/report_oef_type.xhtml.
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U.S. Military Casualty Statistics: OND, OIF, and OEF

Gender Distribution of Deaths
Table 5 and Table 6 provide statistics on the gender distribution of OIF/OND and OEF casualties
(also available on DOD’s website, https://www.dmdc.osd.mil/dcas/pages/casualties.xhtml). All
numbers for OIF/OND and OEF are current as of January 6, 2014. Percentages may not total 100
due to rounding.
Table 5. OIF/OND Gender Distribution of Deaths, 2002-2014
(as of January 6, 2014)
Gender
Military Deaths
% of Total Deaths
Male 4,366
97.5
Female 110
2.5
Total 4,476
100.0
Source: Data from Defense Manpower Data Center, at https://www.dmdc.osd.mil/dcas/pages/casualties.xhtml.
Table 6. OEF Gender Distribution of Deaths, 2001-2014
(as of January 6, 2014)
Gender
Military Deaths
% of Total Deaths
Male 2,250
97.9
Female 49
2.1
Total 2,299
100.0
Source: Data from Defense Manpower Data Center, at https://www.dmdc.osd.mil/dcas/pages/casualties.xhtml.
Race/Ethnicity Distribution of Deaths
Table 7 and Table 8 provide statistics on the race and ethnicity distribution of OIF/OND and
OEF casualties (also on DOD’s website, https://www.dmdc.osd.mil/dcas/pages/casualties.xhtml).
All numbers for OIF/OND and OEF are current as of January 6, 2014. Percentages do not total
100 because servicemembers may be listed twice, once under a race (such as “White”) and once
under an ethnicity (such as “Hispanic or Spanish”).
Table 7. OIF/OND Race/Ethnicity Distribution of Deaths, 2002-2014
(as of January 6, 2014)
Race/Ethnicity
Military Deaths
% of Total Deaths
American Indian/Alaska Native
43
1.0
Asian 78
1.7
Black or African American
444
9.9
Hispanic or Spanish
230
5.1
Native Hawai an or Other Pacific Islander
18
0.4
White 3,697
82.6
Multiple Races
63
1.4
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U.S. Military Casualty Statistics: OND, OIF, and OEF

Race/Ethnicity
Military Deaths
% of Total Deaths
Unknown 133
3.0
Total 4,476

Source: Data from Defense Manpower Data Center, at https://www.dmdc.osd.mil/dcas/pages/casualties.xhtml.
Table 8. OEF Race/Ethnicity Distribution of Deaths, 2000-2014
(as of January 6, 2014)
Race/Ethnicity
Military Deaths
% of Total Deaths
American Indian/Alaska Native
29
1.3
Asian 63
2.7
Black or African American
188
8.2
Hispanic or Spanish
92
4.0
Native Hawai an or Other Pacific Islander
7
0.3
White 1,953
84.9
Multiple Races
29
1.3
Unknown 30
1.3
Total 2,299

Source: Data from Defense Manpower Data Center, at https://www.dmdc.osd.mil/dcas/pages/casualties.xhtml.

Author Contact Information

Hannah Fischer

Information Research Specialist
hfischer@crs.loc.gov, 7-8989

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