Trends in Active-Duty Military Deaths From 2006 Through 2021

Congress has had a sustained interest in military deaths during peacetime and wartime. From 2006 through 2021, a total of 19,378 active-duty servicemembers have died while serving in the U.S. Armed Forces. Of those who died, 24 percent were killed while serving in in what the Department of Defense (DOD) categorizes as Overseas Contingency Operations (OCO) - primarily within the territories of Iraq and Afghanistan. The remaining 76 percent died during operations categorized as Non-Overseas Contingency Operations (Non-OCO). The categories with the highest number of active-duty servicemember deaths were accidents, self-inflicted wounds, and illnesses or injuries. Table 1 summarizes all active-duty military deaths by category from 2006 through 2021. The data starts in 2006 because DOD implemented a new casualty reporting system then, so the analysis excludes casualties that occurred in earlier years, including during combat operations from 2001 to 2005. DOD Instruction (DODI) 1300.18 details department policies and procedures for reporting military casualties. The instruction lists but does not define all casualty categories.