After 22 hours with Pete Hegseth, I see a man who could be president.
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who → see → man
But beneath the alpha swagger, I spotted weaknesses
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I → spot → swagger
The Pentagon has quietly raised the death toll of Americans killed in the war with Iran to 21, weeks after Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth branded reports of missing casualties 'a complete LIE.'
The new total was added to the Pentagon's Defense Casualty Analysis System (DCAS) late Friday evening, exposing a stark gap between the military’s earlier public death toll.
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total → raise → toll
'There is no excuse for a mistake of this magnitude,' two senior Democrats on the House Armed Services Committee told The Washington Post.
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Democrats → be → Post
The update comes just weeks after six US officials told The Post that the Pentagon had underreported the number of American service members killed since the war began on February 28.
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war → come → February
In September, five officials told the outlet at least 22 service members had died, four more than listed in the public database, while a sixth put the toll at 23.
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sixth → tell → 23
One official added that three US contractors based in the region had also died since combat operations began.
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operations → add → region
Hegseth furiously rejected the reporting in a social media post at the time, declaring: 'This is DISGUSTING and FAKE.
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This → reject → time
'Shame on the Washington Post - they're worse than the Iranian state media,' he added.
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he → add → media
The Pentagon quietly raised the death toll of Americans killed in the war with Iran to 21, weeks after Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth branded the reports 'a complete LIE'
The new total was added to the Pentagon's (pictured) Defense Casualty Analysis System (DCAS) late Friday evening, exposing a stark gap between the military’s earlier number
The update comes weeks after six US officials told The Post that the Pentagon had underreported the number of American service members killed since the war began on February 28
Hegseth furiously rejected the reporting in a social media post at the time
At the time, the Pentagon’s database listed 18 US military deaths since the start of the Iran war, including those caused by both hostile and nonhostile actions.
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database → raise → actions
But the latest tally includes two deaths newly classified as noncombat: Army Maj Sorffly Davius, 46, and an unidentified Navy sailor, an official familiar with the matter told the Post anonymously.
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official → include → Post
Davius, an Army National Guard member who served with the 42nd Infantry Division at Camp Buehring in Kuwait, died in the oil-rich country on March 6.
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who → serve → March
His cause of death was listed as 'undetermined.'
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cause → list → death
His death was acknowledged by the Pentagon earlier this year, when officials said he had been sent to Kuwait last summer as part of Operation Spartan Shield, a mission to partner with regional militaries.
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he → acknowledge → militaries
The Pentagon did not add his death to DCAS until later, a delay that has come under fire from congressional Democrats.
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that → add → Democrats
The Navy sailor, meanwhile, is listed in the department’s database only as a woman between 25 and 30 years old.
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sailor → list → woman
She died by suicide in September, the official told The Post.
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official → die → Post
Defense officials also acknowledged the death of another soldier, Sgt Devin A Seibel, whose death the military had previously said was unrelated to ongoing operations in Iran.
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military → acknowledge → Iran
Seibel, 26, served with the Air Ambulance Company, 2nd Battalion, 4th Combat Aviation Brigade at Fort Carson, Colorado, and died on May 31 at Erbil Airbase in Iraq during what officials described as a 'training-related incident.'
The latest tally includes two 'noncombat' deaths: Army Maj Sorffly Davius (pictured), 46, and an unidentified Navy sailor, an official familiar with the matter told the Post anonymously
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tally → serve → Post
Davius, an Army National Guard member who served with the 42nd Infantry Division at Camp Buehring in Kuwait (pictured), died on March 6 from 'undetermined causes'
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who → serve → causes
As of Friday, his death was listed in the military’s database under Operation Inherent Resolve, the US military’s decade-long campaign against the Islamic State.
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death → list → State
With his death now included in the tally, the number of US troops publicly reported killed in the Middle East stands at 22.
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number → include → 22
The database also lists 865 US service members wounded since the war with Iran began, as the conflict continues to face widespread opposition among the American public, according to polls.
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conflict → list → polls
However, the figures carry consequences beyond public accountability.
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figures → carry → accountability
After a service member dies, the military conducts a line-of-duty investigation to establish whether the death occurred while they were performing official duties, a determination that can affect benefits for their surviving family.
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that → die → family
Rep Adam Smith, the top Democrat on the House Armed Services Committee, and Rep Chrissy Houlahan, the panel’s leading Democrat on military personnel, said they were glad the Pentagon had finally issued a 'public correction.'
But they criticized the fact that the figures were changed only after Congress intervened, calling the episode an 'embarrassment' for the US military, according to The Post.
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Congress → say → Post
Meanwhile, in a statement to the outlet, the Pentagon said it 'continues to maintain a steadfast commitment to the transparent, accurate accounting of all Service member casualties.'
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it → say → casualties
Critics have accused the administration of downplaying the human cost of a war that has lasted far longer than Trump predicted, when he said it would end in just 'weeks'
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it → accuse → weeks
The database now lists 865 US service members wounded since the war with Iran began, as the conflict continues to face widespread opposition among the American public
In a statement to The Post, the Pentagon said it 'continues to maintain a steadfast commitment to the transparent, accurate accounting of all Service member casualties'
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it → list → casualties
Without directly addressing the increased death toll, the Pentagon said it was making 'revisions' to how DCAS reports casualties.
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DCAS → address → casualties
The military said it was now using a new category, 'pending adjudication,' as it works through casualty reports, a change first reported by Defense Scoop.
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it → say → Scoop
But the public and lawmakers charged with overseeing the Pentagon have struggled to establish the true toll of US troops killed and wounded in the Iran war since the Trump administration changed its reporting methods mid-conflict.
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administration → charge → methods
Historically, DCAS has recorded casualties under the relevant named operation, regardless of whether service members were killed or injured by enemy action or nonhostile incidents – including accidents and suicide.
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members → record → accidents
Over the summer, the Pentagon began separating casualties from the Iran war into two categories: Operation Epic Fury, the name assigned to the conflict, and Overseas Operations, a separate classification.
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Pentagon → begin → conflict
The shift followed Trump’s declaration that Operation Epic Fury had ended, despite continued US-Iran exchanges of fire.
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Fury → follow → fire
The Pentagon moved some casualties into a separate category rather than counting them under Epic Fury.
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Pentagon → move → Fury
It also came as the administration sought to portray the war as a success, despite stalled efforts to secure a lasting peace deal and continued Iranian attacks on US forces and shipping in the Strait of Hormuz.
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administration → come → Hormuz
Critics have accused the administration of downplaying the human cost of a war that has lasted far longer than Trump predicted, when he said it would end in just 'weeks.'
Now, the higher death toll has sparked fresh backlash against Trump's administration ahead of the midterms, with thousands taking to social media to mock its claims of being the most 'transparent' in history.
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thousands → accuse → history
'Hegseth yelling it was a lie... he is a liar,' one social media user wrote after Friday’s update.
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user → yell → update
Another said: 'Man... what have you done!
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you → say → what
…and 15 more, not listed.
The Aporia
