Amid Iran conflict, ‘non-hostile’ deaths of 2 US airmen raise overseas toll

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U.S. Air Force Airman 1st Class Matthew Buckley, Air Force Mortuary Affairs Operations departures specialist, salutes a flag draped transfer case at Dover Air Force Base, Delaware, Sept. 18, 2026. (Staff Sgt. Madeline Baisey/U.S. Air Force)

Two unidentified U.S. airmen died last week in “non-hostile” incidents amid the war in Iran, raising the number of American fatalities since the war began to 23.

The two airmen are listed under the “non-hostile” category in the Pentagon’s recently updated Defense Casualty Analysis System , or DCAS, meaning their deaths are not related to direct combat operations. One of the deaths was illness- or injury-related, and the other is listed as “pending,” according to the DCAS.

One airman was an active-duty service member, an Air Force spokesperson told Military Times, while the other was in the Air National Guard.

Although typical Department of Defense policy dictates that the names of deceased service members be released to the public 24 hours after next of kin notifications, the Air Force has yet to announce their identities. The spokesperson declined to comment on why their names have been withheld thus far and if the service has been in contact with their families.

Both airmen were white men and mid- to senior-enlisted personnel in E5 to E9 grades, according to DCAS. One was between 31 and 35, while the other was over 35.

One of the airmen passed away in the U.S. Central Command’s area of responsibility, which spans from Northeast Africa across the Middle East to Central and South Asia, the spokesperson said.

The other airman died in the United States; however, the spokesperson declined to comment on where the second airman was operating out of and how they were transported to the U.S.

CENTCOM referred Military Times to the Air Force when asked for comment.

The airman whose death is listed as “pending” is under investigation currently, the spokesperson said, but did not specify by which department.

Another service member whose death was listed as “pending” in DCAS was an Army captain who suffered a medical incident while aboard a military flight on the way to Saudi Arabia in late September.

DCAS lists both of the airmen’s deaths under the Overseas Operations category, instead of Operation Epic Fury, with a Pentagon official telling Military Times it is because the U.S. deems Epic Fury as concluded. The Overseas Operations lists the start date as July 7, aligned with the continued U.S. pressure campaign against Iran.

Officials have been tight-lipped on the exact date Epic Fury was considered terminated, but a defense official previously specified May 5 to Military Times.

The Pentagon’s classification of the operation as an Overseas Operation category faced criticism from Democratic members of Congress, who accused Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth of trying to hide the casualties.

The Overseas Operation category now includes eight service members: four listed as hostile and four as non-hostile. Combining the two categories together makes for a total of 23 service members who have lost their lives since the war in Iran began on Feb. 28, with the Epic Fury category listing 15.

In total, 866 service members have been wounded in action since the war’s beginning across both categories. That includes 417 under Operation Epic Fury and 449 in Overseas Operations, according to DCAS.

Cristina Stassis is a reporter covering stories surrounding the defense industry, national security, military/veteran affairs and more. She previously worked as an editorial fellow for Defense News in 2024 where she assisted the newsroom in breaking news across Sightline Media Group.

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2026年9月18日，在特拉华州多佛空军基地，美国空军一等兵马修·巴克利（Matthew Buckley）——空军殡葬事务行动处离境专家——向覆盖着国旗的遗体转运箱敬礼。（美国空军参谋军士玛德琳·贝西摄）

上周，两名身份不明的美国空军飞行员在伊朗战争期间的“非敌对”事件中丧生，使自战争开始以来美军死亡人数上升至 23 人。

根据五角大楼最新更新的国防伤亡分析系统（DCAS），这两名空军人员被列为“非敌对”类别，这意味着他们的死亡与直接战斗行动无关。其中一人死于疾病或伤残，另一人的死因尚待确定。

空军发言人告诉《军事时报》，其中一名空军士兵是现役军人，另一名士兵是空军国民警卫队成员。

尽管国防部通常规定，阵亡军人的姓名应在通知家属24小时后向公众公布，但空军至今仍未公布他们的身份。发言人拒绝就为何至今未公布姓名以及空军是否已与家属取得联系置评。

据美国国防部民防局（DCAS）称，这两名空军人员均为白人男性，军衔为E5至E9的中高级士官。其中一人年龄在31至35岁之间，另一人超过35岁。

发言人表示，其中一名空军人员在美国中央司令部的责任区内丧生，该责任区从东北非横跨中东，延伸至中亚和南亚。

另一名空军士兵在美国境内死亡；然而，发言人拒绝透露第二名士兵当时在何处执行任务以及他们是如何被运送到美国的。

当《军事时报》就此事向中央司令部寻求置评时，中央司令部建议向空军咨询。

发言人表示，那名死亡原因被列为“待定”的空军士兵目前正在接受调查，但没有具体说明是由哪个部门负责调查。

另一名在 DCAS 系统中被列为“待定”死亡的军人是一名陆军上尉，他在 9 月下旬乘坐军用飞机前往沙特阿拉伯途中突发疾病。

美国国防部民防局（DCAS）将两名飞行员的死亡事件列在“海外行动”类别下，而非“史诗狂怒行动”类别下。一位五角大楼官员告诉《军事时报》，这是因为美国认为“史诗狂怒行动”已经结束。“海外行动”类别下的行动开始日期为7月7日，与美国持续对伊朗施压的行动相吻合。

官方对 Epic Fury 项目终止的确切日期一直守口如瓶，但一位国防部官员此前曾向《军事时报》透露是 5 月 5 日。

五角大楼将此次行动归类为海外行动，此举遭到国会民主党议员的批评，他们指责国防部长皮特·赫格塞斯试图掩盖伤亡情况。

“海外行动”类别目前包括八名军人：四名被列为敌对人员，四名被列为非敌对人员。将这两个类别合并，自2月28日伊朗战争爆发以来，共有23名军人丧生；“史诗级狂怒”类别则列出了15名。

据美国国防部参谋长联席会议统计，自战争开始以来，共有866名军人在战斗中受伤，涵盖所有伤亡类别。其中，在“史诗狂怒行动”中受伤417人，在海外行动中受伤449人。

克里斯蒂娜·斯塔西斯是一位记者，主要报道国防工业、国家安全、军事/退伍军人事务等领域的新闻。她曾于2024年在《防务新闻》担任编辑助理，协助Sightline媒体集团旗下新闻编辑室处理突发新闻。