U.S. military suicides increased in 2023, continuing long-term trend

Suicides in the U.S. military increased in 2023, continuing a long-term trend that the Pentagon has struggled to abate, according to a Defense Department report released on Thursday. The increase is a bit of a setback after the deaths dipped slightly the previous year.

The number of suicides and the rate per 100,000 active-duty service members went up, but that the rise was not statistically significant. The number also went up among members of the Reserves, while it decreased a bit for the National Guard.

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has declared the issue a priority, and top leaders in the Defense Department and across the services have worked to develop programs both to increase mental health assistance for troops and bolster education on gun safety, locks and storage. Many of the programs, however, have not been fully implemented yet, and the moves fall short of more drastic gun safety measures recommended by an independent commission.

In a statement Thursday, Austin said the new figures “urgently demonstrate the need for the Department to redouble its work in the complex fields of suicide prevention and postvention.” He said the department is moving urgently to put changes in place, adding, “There’s still much more work to do, and we won’t let up.”