Conflict · 812 casualtiesVance Says U.S. Not at War — Pentagon Counts 812 CasualtiesAired September 6, 2026 at 6:09 PM UTCWritten September 6, 2026 at 6:11 PM UTCRead the write-upThis storyTranscript · LOADING0:00The Pentagon counts 812 U.S.0:02casualties, and the vice president says it isn't a war.0:05That gap between the administration's language and its own ledger is now a political0:09crisis, with deployments quietly extended into 2027 and families absorbing the cost.0:14How does the administration reconcile its six-week claim with a war now in its0:18seventh month?0:18The wounded count has climbed steadily.0:20624 on July 26th, 757 on August 21, and 794 on0:26September 4th.0:28That's 8.112 total with 18 killed, most of them Army soldiers.0:32Vance refused any artificial timeline, saying, when you ask, when will this end?0:37You're asking me a question like, when will the Iranians stop shooting at ships?0:41That is the gap between what the administration says and what its own records show.0:47Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth quietly extended Middle East deployments into 2027,0:52keeping roughly 50,000 troops and 19 warships in theater on open-ended footing.0:56The 82nd Airborne's 1st Brigade and its Combat Aviation Brigade were extended to a1:00full 12 months.1:02With no published end month.1:03The market data also cuts against the administration's framing.1:06Brent crude trades near $96 a barrel, about a third above pre-war levels.1:11The national average for regular gasoline is about $4.14, a Labor Day record, and1:16diesel is near an all-time high at roughly $5.78 to $5.88.1:21Army Secretary Dan Driscoll resigned after 18 months amid friction with Hegzeth.1:26Hegzeth's preferred successor is his own spokesman, Sean Parnell, one of at least1:31four candidates, Gen.1:32Randy George was removed as Army Chief of Staff in April, and Gen.1:36Christopher Leneeve has been acting since then.1:38Walkinshaw says service members have done everything asked of them and more, but1:43have been failed by their own leadership.1:45He does not see the war ending with a victory or a good outcome from the American1:49perspective.1:50No durable peace is in force.1:52The June memorandum that briefly reopened the Strait has frayed.1:55Vance says the U.S.1:56is not talking to Iran unless it stops firing on commercial shipping.2:00Trump has privately discussed declaring the war over for political reasons while2:03keeping strike options in reserve.2:05With no credible plan to end the conflict before November, the distance between the2:09administration's language and its own Pentagon records is growing into an election2:13season question.Explore with HeyDexFollow via RSSThe shortThe short ↗Related coverageBackgroundOct 1 07:10 UTCHegseth targets 20% top-brass cut—but the accounting is missing