Military Casualties

For John, BLUF:  Almost an Army Division's worth in twelve years.  Nothing to see here; just move along.

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15,851 US service members have died since 2006.  Here’s why.

From Military Times, by Mr Aaron Mehta, 13 June 2018.

The first four paragraphs:

Since 2006, 15,851 active-duty personnel and mobilized reservists have died while serving in the U.S. armed forces.  But only 28 percent of those deaths came from going to war, a stark reminder of the danger service members face even away from the battlefield.

The numbers come from a new report by the Congressional Research Service, disclosed to the public by the Federation of American Scientists.  CRS drew on official figures from the Pentagon for its accounting.

The report breaks down the casualties by OCO and non-OCO deaths, where OCO is defined as a military operation “in which members of the armed forces are or may become involved in military actions, operations, or hostilities against an enemy of the United States or against an opposing military force.”  That covers the vast number of military operations, although it does not cover individuals killed during train and equip operations.

Seventy-two percent of the overall casualties ― 11,341 deaths ― occurred under circumstances unrelated to America’s ongoing wars, the report found.  Ninety-three percent of all these casualties occurred in the U.S., although incidents happened in over 70 nations around the world. Accidents, self-inflicted wounds or illness made up the bulk of casualties.

It is a dangerous profession.

Regards  —  Cliff