United States Military Fatalities During Operation Inherent Resolve and Operation Freedom's Sentinel.

This article systematically evaluates U.S. military fatalities from Operation Inherent Resolve (OIR) in Iraq (2014–2021) and Operation Freedom's Sentinel (OFS) in Afghanistan (2015–2021) using data from autopsy reports and trauma registries. Among 213 fatalities, injury was the leading cause of death in both operations, with OIR showing a higher proportion of deaths from disease and suicide, while OFS had more homicides primarily due to battle injuries. A detailed military trauma mortality review of 146 non-suicide trauma deaths found that most injuries were non-survivable (80.8%) and deaths non-preventable (97.3%), with catastrophic tissue destruction as the predominant mechanism of death. The study highlights differences in force composition and fatality characteristics between OIR and OFS and emphasizes the importance of comprehensive mortality reviews—including both injury and disease deaths—to inform prevention strategies, medical training, and casualty care improvements in future military operations.