These casualties included 64 officers, two generals, and almost a third of the reservists. Brain injuries were the most common type of injury, affecting at least 170 soldiers. The Pentagon also understated military casualties during the US wars in Vietnam and Afghanistan, believing that understating the number of casualties would keep US troops on the battlefield and prevent them from becoming demoralized.
There are several reasons for the increase in US military casualties in the war with Iran.
1.The presence of numerous bases in West Asian countries, especially the Persian Gulf, and the size of these bases is one of the main reasons for Iran's success in its attacks against American positions. Military bases are considered American assets and are considered to be the national interests of this country.
Therefore, attacking these bases is like attacking the territorial integrity of the United States and should not be underestimated. The United States has dozens of military bases and intelligence centers in Iraq, Syria, Jordan, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, and Saudi Arabia, and this geographical dispersion has left Iran free to choose the appropriate options to attack American military forces. In fact, geographical diversity has caused the United States to divide its defense capabilities in different fields, and of course, protecting these military assets is very difficult, even with advanced systems.
2. After successive defeats in military bases in the Persian Gulf countries, the Pentagon transferred many of its soldiers to more distant locations, including Jordan and Syria, to reduce human casualties, and Jordan in particular became one of the most important centers for the deployment of American forces. However, this trick did not reduce the casualties either, and according to the admission of American officials and even Trump himself, the US army suffered the most human casualties in Jordan, and the number of deaths at the Tanf garrison in Syria was never announced by the Pentagon.
Today, the concentration of US military forces in Jordan has increased Iran's operational importance and has made Jordan one of the main targets of attacks. Military experts believe that the injuries to dozens of military personnel and the serious damage to several American helicopters in Jordan are still being kept hidden from public opinion.
3.The US military was promised that victory would be achieved in less than a week and Iran would accept defeat. However, the eroding war for months put a heavy strain on the US military's operational and support forces. The morale of the soldiers was severely weakened, and some attempted to flee and commit suicide, and most of the soldiers are in a state of crisis. Naturally, the longer the war lasts and the greater the likelihood of the troops being targeted, the more this crisis will continue. This is while the US needs tens of thousands of other military forces to continue its aggression, and if a ground attack is launched, these people will be suitable targets for the Iranian armed forces. At the same time, most of the US bases are within range of Iranian drones and missiles due to the appropriate distance, and in such conditions, even the most advanced air defense systems do not have enough time to intercept and counter Iranian projectiles. According to expert estimates, no missile defense system in the world is capable of intercepting all targets 100% of the time, and Iran's very fast and maneuverable missiles pass through US air defense systems with a high percentage and cause great damage to military equipment and especially US manpower.
4. According to the War Powers Act of 1973, the US president is only allowed to continue military operations for 60 days and then must obtain congressional authorization.
To circumvent this law, the Trump administration claims that a ceasefire has been established and that there is no state of war before the 60 days. Then, a few days later, it launches new attacks on Iran and tells Congress that this operation is separate from the previous one and can continue for another 60 days without congressional authorization. In fact, the Pentagon is pretending that there were two wars against Iran, separated by a short ceasefire. In both wars, soldiers and officers of the army were present without change and did not taste the end of the war. This inhumane trick of the Pentagon has been met with a strong reaction from veterans' rights organizations, to the extent that Representative Wemas Massie, a Republican from Kentucky, has called it a "ridiculous trick."
In summary, months have passed since the beginning of the illegal US aggression against Iran, Trump himself, with contradictory statements and dramatic rhetoric, has refused to provide any report on the level of human casualties, and is covering up his failures by deceiving Congress and distorting public opinion. This is an action that is unlikely to continue for a long time, and it will not be long before the families of numerous American soldiers learn of the tragic fate of their loved ones and make the US government suffer.
MNA