Military Suicides Rose in 2023, Continuing Upward Trend Pentagon Sees as 'Real Change'

U.S. Airmen pose for a group photo during a Suicide Prevention Awareness Month base wave-in at Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada, September 10, 2024. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1^st Class Timothy Perish)

Posted: November 15, 2024 --- Military.com | By Patricia Kime

Published November 14, 2024, at 3:22pm ET

Suicides increased among U.S. military personnel last year, an ongoing trend Pentagon officials say they plan to address with a $125 million investment in prevention and mental health programs next year. The rate for active-duty personnel rose to 28.2 per 100,000 members in 2023, from 25.1 per 100,000 members during the previous year, according to new data released by the Pentagon on Thursday.

That year-to-year increase is not statistically significant but when compared with the past 12 years, it shows long-term "real change," defense officials said. "We continue to see a gradual, statistically significant increase in the active component suicide rates from 2011 to 2023. This tells us that it's most likely a real change. Stated differently, there is a low likelihood that this change is due to natural variation or chance," Liz Clark, Director of the Defense Suicide Prevention Office, said.

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The Department of Defenses’ (DoD’s) annual suicide report for 2023 found that the suicide rate also increased among reserve members, but it decreased slightly for the National Guard.  According to the report, 363 active-duty troops died in 2023 by suicide, up 32 service members from last year, while 69 reserve members took their own lives, compared with 65 in 2022. 91 Guard members died by suicide in 2023, down from 99 in 2022.

The deaths occurred despite concerted efforts in 2022 by Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, who ordered the DoD and the services to make suicide prevention a top priority. In the past year, DoD has been working to implement initiatives recommended in 2022 by a suicide prevention review board, completing 20 of the board's 83 recommendations so far, said Dr. Timothy Hoyt, Deputy Director of the Office of Force Resiliency, on the call.

"While some progress has been made, Secretary Austin has been clear that there's still much work to do and that we won't let up," Hoyt said. Regarding the individual services, the suicide rate remained steady in the Marine Corps over last year, but it continued to have the highest rate among the services, losing at least 64 Marines to suicide for a rate of 35 per 100,000 members.

The Army rate increased significantly from 27 per 100,000 to 32.7 per 100,000 soldiers, with 158 deaths. The Air Force had 70, its rate slightly higher in 2023 at 20.5 per 100,000 airmen, and the Navy's rate was 19.3 per 100,000 members, with 69. The Space Force, the smallest branch of the armed services, had two deaths by suicide. The Coast Guard, which is part of the Department of Homeland Security, was not addressed in the DoD report.

"The Department mourns our teammates whom we've lost to suicide. And through our actions -- by taking care of our people, and prioritizing the health, well-being, and morale of our force -- we honor their memories," Austin said. Firearms remained the leading means of suicide among the active-duty, reserve and National Guard components in 2023, with 65% taking their lives with a gun, compared with 50% of suicides in the U.S. population.

The commission recommended that the DoD department raise the age for service members to buy guns to 25, require those living in military housing to register all privately owned weapons and restrict storage of personal firearms in barracks. The DoD did not adopt those policies but instead launched public awareness campaigns and has been working with businesses located near military installations to provide storage devices at a discount to gun owners, Dr. Hoyt said.

The DoD also is working with the military exchange system to provide vouchers for storage devices for those who buy a firearm on base, he added. "We're continuing to promote this culture of lethal means safety, incentivizing secure firearm storage and really promoting safety across the installation and particularly in our barracks and dorms, to make sure that we are securely storing firearms when we're off duty and in our homes," Dr. Hoyt said.

The $125 million in programs in 2025, up from $17 million this year, will go toward recruiting and retaining mental health professionals; implementing the Brandon Act, the legislation that allows service members to request a mental health assessment without interference from commands; revising suicide prevention training; and fostering a culture of firearms safety, according to DoD.

The commission's firearms recommendations are unlikely to be implemented under the incoming administration, and service members may even see an expansion of their gun rights on base should Fox News host and former Army National Guard Major Pete Hegseth -- the nominee to head the department -- be confirmed. Noting in a May 2023 interview with the National Rifle Association that most installations prohibit concealed carry, Hegseth said it "doesn't make sense."

"If you can't trust people who have been recruited, trained to use firearms and entrusted with so much responsibility, then something is very wrong," Hegseth said. As with previous years, the military population most at risk for suicide, according to the report, are young, male enlisted troops under age 30, accounting for 61% of the deaths. The most common stressors seen in those who died were relationship problems, 44%, or who had a mental health diagnosis within the year before they died, 42%.

For the 1^st time, the DoD analyzed trends in suicide among military family members based on the most recently available data from 2022. According to the report, 146 family members -- 93 spouses and 53 dependents under age 23 -- died by suicide, a drop of 9% from 2021. Over time, however, the rate among military families has increased overall since 2011, trends that are also seen in the U.S. among the general population and adolescents.

If you are a service member or veteran who needs help, it is available 24/7 at theVeterans and Military Crisis Line. Dial 988 Press 1, text 838255 or use the online chat function at www.veteranscrisisline.net.