Shaheen, Colleagues Press Hegseth on Inaccurate Casualty Reporting, Lack of Transparency About Human Cost of War in Iran

(Washington, DC) – U.S. Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Ranking Member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and a senior member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, joined a group of her Senate colleagues in a letter to the Department of Defense (DoD) demanding a full and accurate accounting of all service member casualties in support of or in connection with Operation Epic Fury, the President’s military campaign in Iran. The Senators raised concerns about multiple inconsistencies between the Pentagon’s public casualty number and official statements and pressed Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth to be transparent with the American people, service members and their families on the human cost of the ongoing war in Iran. The Senators wrote, in part: “The American people, Congress, service members, and their families are entitled to a full and accurate accounting of the human costs of war. The information currently available to the public suggests that the Department has not consistently provided timely and comprehensive public casualty reporting throughout the conflict.” They continued: “This lack of transparency undermines confidence that military families and the American people are receiving a complete and accurate accounting of the sacrifices made by those serving in uniform.” The Senators concluded: “We appreciate your prompt attention to these questions and expect a timely and complete response. Our service members and their families deserve nothing less than a full and honest accounting of the costs of this war.” The full letter can be read HERE. In addition to Shaheen, the letter was signed by Senators Tim Kaine (D-VA), Mazie Hirono (D-HI), Senate Armed Services Committee Ranking Member Jack Reed (D-RI), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Gary Peters (D-MI), Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), Jacky Rosen (D-NV), Mark Kelly (D-AZ) and Elissa Slotkin (D-MI). Since President Trump began the war in Iran, Senator Shaheen has continued to grill Secretary Hegseth and top Administration officials about their lack of strategy and transparency surrounding the conflict in the Middle East. Earlier this month, Shaheen pressed Secretary Hegseth on the cost of the war and questioned why the American people were being asked to further absorb the cost of the war when the Department still has unspent funding. ###