WASHINGTON — Suicides in the U.S. military rose in 2023, continuing a long-term trend that the Pentagon has struggled to reduce, according to a Defense Department report released Thursday. This increase was a slight decline after deaths decreased slightly last year.

The number of suicides and the rate per 100,000 active-duty soldiers increased, but the increase was not statistically significant. That number also increased among Reserve members while decreasing slightly among National Guard members.

Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin declared the issue a priority, and senior leaders in the Department of Defense and other services worked to develop programs to both increase mental health assistance to troops and support training in weapons safety, locks and storage. But many of the programs have not yet been fully implemented, and the measures taken fall short of tougher gun safety measures recommended by an independent commission.

In a statement Thursday, Austin said the new figures “demonstrate the urgent need for the Department to redouble its work in the complex areas of suicide prevention and suicide prevention.” He said the ministry was taking urgent action to implement the changes, adding: “There is still a lot of work to be done and we will not give up.”

The increase was driven by spikes in the number of Army and Air Force deaths, while the Marine Corps and Navy saw a very small decrease.

Overall, the number of suicide cases increased from 493 in 2022 to 523 in 2023. The number of active duty soldiers who died due to suicide increased from 331 to 363.

Officials said they believe the rate rather than the number of suicides is a more accurate measurement because the active duty force has decreased in recent years. The suicide rate is calculated based on an active duty force of about 1.28 million, a Reserve force of about 330,000, and a Guard force of about 430,000. The rate of active duty service members and Reserves increased, while the rate of Guardsmen decreased.

But more broadly, since 2011, suicides have increased among active-duty soldiers, while the Guard and Reserves have remained largely steady. Because the majority of those in the military are young and male, the statistics reflect suicide rates in society generally when adjusted for age and gender, officials said.

The analysis in the annual report also shows ongoing trends in those dying by suicide and how they do so. The report shows that the vast majority of suicides still occur among young, male soldiers. It is stated that most of the deaths are caused by the use of firearms.

Suicide data for soldiers’ family members is a year out. However, it shows that fewer family members died by suicide in 2022 than in the previous year, a 9% decrease in this rate. Although male partners are much smaller in number, they account for nearly half of all suicide deaths.

An independent committee recommended early last year that the department adopt a series of gun safety measures to reduce suicides in the force, including waiting periods for purchasing firearms and ammunition from military property.

The commission said the department should raise the gun and ammunition purchasing age for soldiers to 25 and require everyone living in military housing to register all privately owned firearms. In addition, he said the ministry should impose restrictions on the possession and storage of privately owned firearms in military barracks and dormitories.

In response to this report, Austin launched a new campaign to address suicides in the police department, but the department chose not to implement the significant firearms changes the commission recommended. Instead, the Pentagon said it would “encourage” safe firearms storage, provide more storage locations and do more public education on how to store guns safely, similar to steps officials have cited in the past.

Those changes, which could include giving soldiers a voucher to cover gun locking and storage costs, are being studied but not yet completed, defense officials said. They are still working on modernizing training programs to better train soldiers on the safe storage and use of weapons and reduce the stigma around seeking mental health support.

In addition, the military services are recruiting personnel for anti-personnel programs, and as of this summer, nearly 1,000 professionals had been hired, with a goal of 2,500 by 2028.

You can reach the national suicide and crisis lifeline by calling or texting 988. An online chat is also available at 988lifeline.org.

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