Active-Duty Military Suicides Increase Annually in 2023, Pentagon Data Show

A member of the U.S. Army places an American flag on a grave at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Virginia, in preparation for Memorial Day, on May 25, 2017. Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images

The number of suicides among active-duty military members was higher in the first three months of this year than in the first quarter of 2022, according to a new Pentagon report.

The number of military suicides rose 25 percent, from 75 in the first quarter of 2022 to 94 in the first quarter of 2023, the Defense Suicide Prevention Office stated in its annual report (pdf).

That is the highest number of active-duty suicides in the military since 97 were reported in the second quarter of 2021, according to the Military Times. Overall in 2021, 519 service members died by suicide, with officials noting that young, enlisted male service members were found to be the most at risk.

In 2020, 582 members of the military died by suicide, while the suicide rate among active-duty service members increased by 9.1 percent that year, according to a previous Pentagon report.

The newly released report includes all known or suspected suicides—both confirmed and pending—as of March 31, for both the active and reserve components, although the data are preliminary and may change as previously unknown cases are reported and some known cases are further investigated.

According to the report, the Army saw the greatest increase in suicide deaths year over year, with the numbers increasing by 12 from 37 in 2022 to 49 in 2023.

U.S. Marines and Sailors with Combat Logistics Regiment 3, 3rd Marine Logistics Group, board a U.S. Air Force C-130 Hercules at Kadena Air Base, Japan, on Dec. 6, 2021. U.S. Marine Corps photo by Sgt. Hailey D. Clay

Further Report Findings

Suicides among the Marine Corps increased from 8 to 14 while the Air Force Active Component saw one additional suicide. Among active Navy personnel, the number of suicide deaths stayed the same, while the Space Force Active Component has registered no suicide deaths to date, according to the Defense Department report.

Among reserve troops and the National Guard, suicide numbers also remained unchanged, the report found.

“The DoD continues to investigate individual cases to make informed determinations, and conduct the necessary statistical analyses to understand trends over time,” the Pentagon stated in its report. “At this time, it is too early to determine whether suicide rates will increase or decrease for Calendar Year 2023.”

Responding to the report findings, an Army spokesperson told the Military Times that officials are still waiting for its suicide prevention policy and are “working urgently but deliberately to complete this effort.”

While the latest active-duty figures don’t include veterans, an average of nearly 17 former U.S. troops take their own lives every day, according to government data.

However, the national nonprofit America’s Warrior Partnership has previously warned that suicide rates among the U.S. military veterans are likely more than double that reported by the government because the Department of Veterans Affairs doesn’t account for what is known as self-injury mortality, which is attributed predominately to overdose deaths.

The Pentagon has been looking for ways to prevent suicide among military personnel over the past decade, and in February, its Suicide Prevention and Response Independent Review Committee recommended gun restrictions for soldiers under the age of 25 as a way of reducing such deaths.

The panel also recommended implementing waiting periods of seven days on purchases of guns and four days for purchases of ammunition in an effort to slow down access to the means of suicide.

U.S. soldiers wearing protective masks during a handover ceremony of Taji military base from U.S.-led coalition troops to Iraqi security forces, in the base north of Baghdad, Iraq, on Aug. 23, 2020. Thaier Al-Sudani/Reuters

Mental Health Support Options

In May, the Pentagon signed the Brandon Act, which is aimed at making it easier for service members to confidentially access mental health care and evaluations and other services.

The legislation, named after Navy Petty Officer 3rd Class Brandon Caserta, who died by suicide in 2018, was signed into law by President Joe Biden in December 2021 as part of the 2022 National Defense Authorization Act.

At the time the Department of Defense signed the act, officials said that service members worldwide have access to a “range of mental health and wellness support,” including the ability to request a referral for a mental health evaluation through their commanding officer or supervisor, or through their local health care provider directly.

There are also online resources, including the 988 Veterans Crisis Line, Military OneSource nonmedical counseling, and the 24/7 Psychological Health Resource Center.

However, experts have stressed that conversations about military suicides are seldom had among military members because of the social stigma, despite the increased chance of post-traumatic stress disorder because of the nature of their work.

U.S. Army veteran Jonah Nelson, who previously served in Iraq and Saudi Arabia, told The Epoch Times in August 2022 how he and members of his platoon had to extract human remains from bombed-out vehicles, which had a severe effect on their mental health.

“I guess you just don’t talk about that kind of stuff,” he said. “[Military officials] don’t have any reliable method of fixing us.

If you or someone you know is experiencing a mental health crisis, considering suicide, or engaging in substance abuse, dial or text the U.S. Suicide & Crisis Lifeline at 988 to speak with a counselor. If you’re in the UK, call the Samaritans at 116123.