The military did not properly report and track traumatic brain injuries following a missile attack on the al Asad Air Base in Iraq in January 2020.
The Defense Department Office of Inspector General found that U.S. Central Command did not “track or report” possible head injuries as required by department policy because the regulations were unclear.
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The inspector general’s report was released on Monday, though the findings were not shared publicly until Wednesday.
The investigation also found that the Joint Chiefs of Staff did not monitor CENTCOM’s compliance with the regulations as it is required to do, and this occurred because it didn’t “designate an office of primary responsibility.”
As a result of the failed oversight, the Joint Trauma Analysis and Prevention of Injury in Combat (JTAPIC) program office said the Defense Department is unable to “determine whether all Service members are being properly diagnosed and treated for” injuries.
The inspector general recommended that the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff appoint an office of primary responsibility to monitor compliance with DOD regulations that require the combatant commands to report all potentially concussive events to the JTAPIC program office.
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It also suggested assigning a designated office to receive and review CENTCOM’s reporting of potentially concussive events and for them to submit monthly tracking reports.
More than 100 U.S. troops were diagnosed with brain injuries following the ballistic missile attack on Jan. 8, 2020. The attack was in response to the U.S. strike that killed Iranian Quds Force Commander Qassem Soleimani days earlier.
