WASHINGTON — They are the invisible wounds of war.
Nearly half a million U. S. service members suffered traumatic brain injuries in the past two decades, but the Defense Department isn't sure exactly how many, how they are being treated, or how they are doing now, according to a new Pentagon report.
The Department of Defense Inspector General report published Monday found inconsistencies with how the military health system handles screening, tracking and treating brain injury, often because the existing process is cumbersome.
The report went on to say: "The DoD did not implement policies and procedures to ensure that service members... were screened to determine their appropriate level of care."
The report estimates at least 459,000 troops experienced brain injury while in service between 2000 and 2022.
Most recently, six U.S. troops in Syria suffered traumatic brain injuries during two attacks in late March by Iran-backed militants.
The Pentagon on Wednesday was unable to provide much in the way of an update on their conditions.
"It is something that we continue to assess. These are things that take time and our service members will continue to go in for screening to continue to assess if they are screening for TBI. But at this moment, I just don't have more to provide," said Defense Department Deputy spokesperson Sabrina Singh.
She said of the injured troops from the recent Syria attack: "I would expect we could see the numbers increase."