GRANTS, N.M. – U.S. military officials say American forces are sustaining operational momentum after early successes in the ongoing Iran military conflict, even as the nation mourns service members killed in action and families across the country watch developments closely.
Analysis provided by the Institute for the Study of War and the Critical Threats Project described strikes reaching deep inside Iranian territory, including a reported strike on a likely drone-related site in South Khorasan Province and noted footage showing a U.S. Navy F/A-18 operating at extremely low altitude near Iran’s coast, suggesting U.S. forces have achieved local air dominance in at least some areas.
US CENTCOM described Iranian forces as using mobile launchers to fire missiles across the region and said U.S. forces are hunting those threats down. According to the pentagon, the US Department of Defense said these efforts assist with air control.
During a press conference early Monday morning with Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, U.S. Central Command spokesperson Capt. Tim Hawkins said March 16 that 200 American service members have been injured in the war.
Hawkins said 10 are currently seriously wounded, but emphasized that the vast majority suffered minor injuries and that more than 180 have already returned to duty.
Hawkins said the U.S. death toll has reached 13 as of March 16.
Six of those service members were killed March 12 when a KC-135 refueling aircraft crashed in Iraq, killing all six on board.
The Pentagon identified these soldiers as: Maj. John A. Klinner, Capt. Ariana G. Savino, and Tech. Sgt. Ashley B. Pruitt, assigned to MacDill Air Force Base in Florida; and Capt. Seth R. Koval, Capt. Curtis J. Angst, and Tech. Sgt. Tyler H. Simmons, assigned to Rickenbacker Air National Guard Base in Ohio.
The Pentagon also identified additional deaths attributed to Iranian attacks on U.S. bases, including six soldiers killed in a drone attack in Kuwait – Capt. Cody A. Khork, Sgt. 1st Class Noah L. Tietjens, Sgt. 1st Class Nicole M. Amor, Sgt. Declan J. Coady, Maj. Jeffrey O’Brien; and Chief Warrant Officer 3 Robert Marzan – and Sgt. Benjamin Pennington, who was killed in an Iranian attack on Prince Sultan Air Base in Saudi Arabia and was assigned to Fort Carson, Colorado.
The Pentagon has indicated that confirming local connections requires contacting each branch of the armed services individually, rather than through one central office. The Cibola Citizen will continue pursuing that information through official channels.