WASHINGTON – The Army has seen fewer suicides in recent months, a change in a trend that has long plagued the military.
A report released Thursday by the Pentagon showed suicides rose throughout the military last year, before they began decreasing this year in the Army, which is the military’s largest branch.
The Army recorded the most suicides last year at 279, an increase of 25 from the year before. The Marine Corps recorded 71 suicides, the Navy recorded 78, the Air Force recorded 93, and the Space Force recorded two.
Military officials, in an interview with USA TODAY, say numbers improved in 2024 because of an emphasis on safe storage of guns and drugs and a renewed effort to limit stress in soldiers’ lives.
“We’ve seen some preliminary numbers that are much of improved for this year,” said Army Col. Kevin Goke, a top official involved in suicide prevention.
The Army, through October, had 23 fewer suicides among active duty soldiers compared with the same period in 2023, said Randy Lane, an Army expert on suicide data. Suicide totals for the Army are below its five- and 10-year averages, he said.
The Pentagon recorded 523 suicides across the military last year compared with 493 in 2022, according to the newly released report.
Timothy Hoyt, deputy director of the Office of Force Resiliency, told reporters that the increase echoes national trends in suicide, ”amplified by military-specific risk factors in the short term.”
More: As more troops die by suicide, the hardest question remains: Why?
Most military suicides involve firearms, Hoyt said. In response, the Pentagon has launched initiatives to promote a safer culture, including “incentivizing secure firearm storage,” particularly in barracks and dorms, Hoyt said.
Handguns are involved in about 3 in 4 deaths by suicide in the Army, Goke said. That figure has prompted commanders to emphasize safety. Delaying access to a gun by keeping it in a safe, or by securing drugs, for an hour can drop the risk of suicide significantly, he said.
More: An Alaskan army base is the epicenter of military suicides. Soldiers know why
“If they’re trying to do something like unlock a gun safe, that is very tactical, very logical in nature, and actually can help pull them out of that subjective space of despair and give them that time and space” to reconsider a suicidal idea, Goke said.
Suicides in active duty troops were higher than in reserves – 363 active duty members died by suicide in 2023, a 12% increase in the suicide rate from the previous year, continuing an increasing trend over the past 12 years. In the military’s reserves and the National Guard, “that trend line is slightly flatter,” Hoyt said.
More than 60% of active component members who died by suicide last year were young men under the age of 30, a fraction consistent with past years. Less than half – 42% – had a behavioral health diagnosis.
About half of deaths by suicide among soldiers occur without red flags that might be picked up by commanders, fellow soldier or family members, Goke said. Reducing stress for soldiers can help them from being overwhelmed.
As an example, Goke pointed to child care, which has different potential solutions depending on location. At a base in rural Louisiana, like Fort Johnson, one stress may be the lack of child care providers in that rural setting. In Tacoma, Washington, at Joint Base Lewis McChord, the cost of child care in a bustling urban area might be the stressor. Each problem will require the Army to find different solutions, he said.
“It’s something that’s not directly related to suicide, but it’s a stressor in somebody’s life nonetheless,” he said. Stresses can accumulate and have tragic outcomes.
Other military initiatives to address the increase include improving access to mental health care and reducing stigma and obstacles to service members seeking care.
“We are doubling down on our revisions to suicide prevention training,” Hoyt said.
More: Troop suicides rise as Pentagon official points to US military stretched by China
Asked why those programs didn’t stop the recent increase, Hoyt cited “insufficient investment” and a failure to closely track which programs were successful over the past two decades.
The military has struggled to grapple with increasing suicides over recent years. A Pentagon study published this year found American soldiers were more likely to die by suicide than in combat from 2014 to 2019.
The overall U.S. suicide rate per 100,000 people increased by more than 35% from 2000 to 2018. It declined slightly for the next two years before increasing again in 2021.
Military suicides still on the rise, but Army gets good news after recent surge – USA Today
