H.R. 10457 — Honoring the Sacrifice of Troops in War Act of 2026

This section expresses the sense of Congress that every member of the Armed Forces killed or wounded in hostilities must be counted by name and in number in official casualty records, that the government owes a complete accounting without administrative reclassification or false assertions that hostilities have ended, and that accurate casualty statistics are required for executive accountability and congressional war powers.

This section prohibits the Secretary of Defense from redesignating, renaming, or reclassifying an ongoing contingency operation if the facts and circumstances continue to meet the statutory criteria involving members of the armed forces in military actions against the same enemy or opposing force, including during or after a ceasefire, diplomatic negotiation, or change in operational phase.

This section requires the Secretary of Defense to attribute each covered casualty to the specific designated military operation in all Department of Defense casualty records and statistics, and prohibits reclassifying, removing, or transferring such attributions based on redesignations of operations or assertions that hostilities have ceased, except to correct documented factual errors. It defines covered casualties as deaths or combat injuries of service members on active duty or supporting designated operations.

This section requires the Secretary of Defense to restore all casualty records and statistics modified since February 28, 2026, within 30 days of enactment, to comply with section 1472 of title 10, United States Code. It also directs the Secretary to notify the primary next of kin of each affected deceased or wounded service member of the restoration and the reason for it.

This section prohibits the Secretary of Defense from modifying, shortening, extending, pausing, or resetting any deployment-related benefit eligibility for members of the armed forces or civilian personnel based solely on the redesignation, renaming, or reclassification of an ongoing contingency operation. It requires that eligibility for awards, decorations, veterans' preference, pay, leave, and deployment thresholds continue to be calculated as if the original operation designation remained in effect, except when explicitly required by statute, necessitated by a substantive change in operational conditions against a new enemy, or authorized under the existing Secretary-approved deployment exception in subsection (a)(3).

This section directs the Secretary of Defense to restore covered benefits—including DoD awards and decorations, veterans’ preference accrual, contingency military leave, and special pay, leave, and tax authorities—to Armed Forces members and civilian personnel who supported U.S. military operations against Iran since February 28, 2026. It requires written notice of the restoration and its reason to each affected individual within 30 days of enactment.