13 American Service Members Killed, 365 Injured in Five Weeks of Campaign Against Iran

According to the latest reports from the Pentagon, published on Friday, April 3, the military campaign against Iran, referred to as 'Epic Fury,' has resulted in the deaths of 13 American service members and injuries to 365 others. This operation has led to a substantial number of casualties among different military units.

Of the 365 injured, 247 belong to the U.S. Army, 63 to the Navy, 36 to the Air Force, and 19 to the Marine Corps, as reported by CBS. The U.S. Central Command has indicated that most of the injured personnel have already returned to duty.

As of today, the death toll remains at 13, with seven of those fatalities resulting from combat operations. Among these, six service members were killed during an Iranian strike in Kuwait, while one died from injuries sustained in Saudi Arabia. The other six fatalities occurred as a result of a crash involving an American refueling aircraft, which are classified as non-combat incidents, according to information provided by The Wall Street Journal.

This report comes in the wake of a significant escalation in the conflict on Friday when Iranian forces shot down two American aircraft. An A-10 Thunderbolt II, designed for ground attack, was downed over the Persian Gulf, although the pilot was successfully rescued by special forces. On the same day, an F-15 fighter jet was lost over Iranian territory—marking the first such combat loss in the ongoing war. While one crew member was rescued, a risky search operation continues for the second.

The expansion of the conflict, which flared up on February 28 following U.S. and Israeli strikes that resulted in the death of Iran's supreme leader Ali Khamenei, has prompted the Trump administration to request a record defense budget of $1.5 trillion for the fiscal year 2027. This proposal includes an increase in military spending of over 40 percent to replenish ammunition stocks and fund new programs, such as the 'Iron Dome' missile defense system.