The new millennium has seen many changes in world politics. One of those changes has been the revelation of here-to-fore classified data on the casualties that were sustained by the former Soviet Union, Russia and The United States during war and conflict. In the case of the Soviet Union and Russia the data that has been released pertains to the casualties of soldiers. In the case of The United States the data that has been released pertains primarily to casualties incurred during covert operations.

The former Soviet Union has always regarded the casualties that it has sustained during war and conflicts to be a state secret and therefore has never published them until June of 2001. The reluctance to release this data has been for numerous intelligence reasons. Some of the reasons are due to the fact that the Soviets determined that such data gives the enemy valuable intelligence on how successful or unsuccessful various military operations were. This type of data is also used to determine such parameters as troop strength, rapid deployment capabilities, infrastructure. In addition information such as command, control, communications and technological status can be derived. There are other motivations for keeping this information from wide spread distribution. Some of the other motivational factors include, but are not limited to, efforts that include propaganda and issues related to morale.

Historians and political scientists often use such data to retrofit war-time strategies, political motivations and extrapolate future foreign policy and strategy. For the reasons mentioned above, along with numerous other complex intelligence issues, the casualties of 'The Red Army' and it’s predecessors from the former Soviet Union have been estimated but unverified.

In June of 2002 The Russian General Staff released the following information on Russian combat deaths from their Civil War (1918) up through today's Chechen War (2001). The information was published in the document known as "Argumenty i fakty No. 22." It contains the following data:

939,755 soldiers during their Civil War (1918-22),

626 in the struggle against the Basmachi movement in Central Asia (1923-31),

187 in the 1929 Soviet-Chinese conflict,

353 in the Spanish Civil War,

9,920 in battles with the Japanese at the end of the 1930s,

1,139 during the occupation of The Western Ukraine and Western Belarus,

126,875 during the Soviet- Finnish War,

8,668,400 during World War II,

229 during the Korean War (1950-53),

145 during military assistance operations in Asia and Africa,

750 while in Hungary in 1956,

96 while in Czechoslovakia in 1968,

60 during the 1969 border dispute with China,

14,751 during The Afghan War,

5,835 during the first Chechen War,

and 3,108 in the second Chechen War (to date).

The above data also verifies the Soviet involvement in the Korean War. Specifically, the above data reflects the engagement of The Soviet Air Force with US Air Forces in North Korea that resulted in 299 deaths. These engagements proved historically important to the US Air Force. It was during the Korean War that the US realized it’s pilots needed to be trained in air-to-air combat tactics also known as 'dogfighting'. This realization led to the founding of the 'Top Gun' flight schools.

One other noteworthy item is that there is no listing of casualties for The Vietnam War. It has been assumed that the Soviets lost several advisors and/or pilots when the US started bombing Hanoi.

The United States has typically regarded war and conflict data in the same manner as most countries but has felt obligated for various fundamental reasons that the publishing of this data is necessary. Correspondingly U.S. casualties and force strength can be found listed in many resources.

One area that even the US has not been forthcoming with casualties pertains to those casualties incurred during Special Operations or those using covert assets. This has also changed during this era of reflection and anticipated enduring peace. In the year 2001, both the NSA and CIA have released information about fallen comrades.

The NSA Memorial Wall

The National Security Agency has considered that it is time to honor its fallen veterans and it did so in May 2001. The Memorial is intended to honor those who paid the ultimate price while "serving in silence," since the formation of the Agency in 1952. There are a total of 152 names to date that are engraved on The Memorial as shown below. These names reflect the dangers of gathering electronic intelligence from reconnaissance aircraft, ships and listening posts to name a few.

The first name on The Memorial is that of Army Pvt. Jay Stoner, who was killed while trying to fix a battlefield communications line, sixteen days before the Korean War ended. Private Stoner was the first casualty ever discussed publicly by the NSA. This revelation occurred at the 2001 Memorial Day celebration where Major General Tiiu Kera, who is in command of the NSA’s uniformed component, announced "Memorial Day holds a special meaning for the cryptologic community." Historically, The CIA and NSA have held their Memorial Day ceremonies in private and for those who gave the ultimate sacrifice, their legacy was relegated to memory only.

The single biggest tragedy that resulted in thirty-four stars being added to the wall, was when Israel attacked The USS Liberty during the 1967 Arab-Israeli War. All but one of the NSA's heroes is named on the wall, and two were civilians. One of the civilians was Allen M. Blue who died aboard The USS Liberty. The other civilian is the wall's only anonymous hero whose efforts are memorialized as "identity withheld" chiseled in granite.

The CIA Memorial Wall

When you enter the older, main entrance of The CIA’s Headquarters lobby, you will see The CIA Memorial Wall on the right. The design of the wall was commissioned by the CIA Fine Arts Commission in May 1973 and sculpted by Harold Vogel in July 1974. The Memorial reads "IN HONOR OF THOSE MEMBERS OF THE CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY WHO GAVE THEIR LIVES IN THE SERVICE OF THEIR COUNTRY."

There are no names engraved on this wall even though it is located inside the CIA compound in Langley, Virginia. The 79 stars recall those CIA officers who gave their lives for their country. The glass-encased Book of Honor, that is shown below the stars, lists the 44 names which can be revealed.

The term "Served in Silence" has a singular honor amongst the Intelligence and Special Operations Community. This is due to the fact that for those that have put their lives in harm's way, served and sacrificed or ultimately gave their lives for their country, the notoriety is extremely limited. There are typically no public ceremonies, no awards or ribbons and quite often little or no recognition of the effort, and yet they continue to "Serve In Silence."  -END