Some 15,851 U.S. active-duty personnel and mobilized reservists have died while serving in America’s military since 2006 – but according to a new report, the biggest adversaries are not directly related to America’s involvement in global wars or deployment abroad.
According to “Recent Trends in Active-Duty Military Deaths,” conducted by the Congressional Research Service and made publicly available by the Federation of American Scientists, 72 percent of the total deaths – 11,341 – happened under circumstances outside of the battlefield, reinforcing the notion that military service comes with many perils even for those who never see combat.
The report, which was compiled with the use of data provided by the Defense Manpower Data Center and the service’s Casualty and Mortuary Affairs database, categorized the deaths under two main umbrellas: “Overseas Contingency Operations” (OCO) defined as military operations “in which members of the armed forces are or may become involved in military actions, operations, or hostilities against an enemy of the United States or against an opposing military forces,” and non-OCO.
“Approximately 11,341 service members have died in circumstances unrelated to OCO operations since 2006. On average, there have been 920 deaths each year,” the report stated. “Personnel perished in more than 70 countries (and at sea), with the majority 93 percent of deaths occurring in the United States.”
The data showed that the majority of service members whose deaths unfolded outside of OCO operations during this time period died “as a result of accident, self-inflicted wounds, or illness.” – READ MORE
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