https://crsreports.congress.gov
Updated September 9, 2022
Trends in Active-Duty Military Deaths From 2006 Through
2021
Summary of Deaths
Congress has had a sustained interest in military deaths
during peacetime and wartime. From 2006 through 2021, a
total of 19,378 active-duty servicemembers have died while
serving in the U.S. Armed Forces. Of those who died, 24%
were killed while serving in in what the Department of
Defense (DOD) categorizes as Overseas Contingency
Operations (OCO)—primarily within the territories of Iraq
and Afghanistan. The remaining 76% died during
operations categorized as Non-Overseas Contingency
Operations (Non-OCO). The categories with the highest
number of active-duty servicemember deaths were
accidents, self-inflicted wounds, and illnesses or injuries.
Table 1 summarizes all active-duty military deaths by
category from 2006 through 2021. The data starts in 2006
because DOD implemented a new casualty reporting
system then, so the analysis excludes casualties that
occurred in earlier years, including during combat
operations from 2001 to 2005. DOD Instruction (DODI)
1300.18 details department policies and procedures for
reporting military casualties. The instruction lists but does
not define all casualty categories.
Table 1. U.S. Active-Duty Military Deaths, 2006-2021,
by Category
Source: U.S. Department of Defense, Defense Manpower Data
Center (DMDC), Defense Casualty Analysis System report provided
to CRS, April 1, 2022.
Notes: The “self-inflicted” subcategory includes an apparent-suicide
designation. For comprehensive statistics on this subject, please
consult the Defense Suicide Prevention Office (DSPO). Numbers
have been rounded to the nearest tenth of a percentage.
Source of Casualty Data
Data in this product were provided by the DOD’s Defense
Manpower Data Center (DMDC). When a U.S. casualty
occurs, the service is required to complete a form (DD 1300
Report of Casualty) that includes circumstances related to
death. This information is subsequently entered into the
service’s Casualty and Mortuary Affairs database (Defense
Casualty Information Processing System, or DCIPS), which
is made accessible to DMDC. Casualty data are refreshed
daily and past records are subject to change. Throughout
this product, the designation “active duty” refers to all
active-duty troops, including mobilized Reserve and Guard
components.
Figure 1. U.S. Active-Duty Military Deaths 2006-2021
Source: DMDC Defense Casualty Analysis System report provided
to CRS, April 1, 2022.
Deaths in Iraq and Afghanistan
Scope and Reference
Title 10, Section 101 of the U.S. Code, defines a
contingency operation as any Secretary of Defense-
designated 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.” OCO
activities related to Afghanistan include Operation Enduring
Freedom (2001-2014) and Operation Freedom’s Sentinel
(2014-2021). In April 2022, President Joseph R. Biden Jr.
announced a drawdown of all 2,500 U.S. troops remaining
in that country beginning May 1 and all troops left
Afghanistan on or before August 30, 2021. OCO activities
primarily related to Iraq include Operation Iraqi Freedom
(2003-2010), Operation New Dawn (2010-2011), and
Operation Inherent Resolve (2011-present).
In 2006, OCO and non-OCO deaths were fairly evenly
divided; in 2021, OCO deaths accounted for 2% of active-
duty deaths.
