According to senior defense officials, suicides in the U.S. military have seen an increase in 2023, continuing a concerning long-term trend that the Pentagon has been working to address. The rise in suicides comes after a slight decrease the previous year, with both the number of suicides and the rate per 100,000 active-duty service members going up, although the increase was deemed not statistically significant.
While the number of suicides increased among members of the Reserves, there was a slight decrease for the National Guard. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has made addressing this issue a top priority, with efforts focused on enhancing mental health assistance for troops and promoting education on gun safety, locks, and storage.
