The Department of Defense (DoD) has released its Annual Report on Suicide in the Military for the calendar year 2023. This report provides data on suicide counts and rates among service members and their dependents, as well as an outline of current and ongoing prevention efforts within the department.
Secretary Lloyd J. Austin established the Suicide Prevention Response and Independent Review Committee (SPRIRC) on May 7, 2022, to review suicide prevention programs. The committee provided over 100 recommendations, leading to a campaign plan announced in September 2023. This plan includes fostering a supportive environment, improving mental health care delivery, addressing stigma and barriers to care, revising training, and promoting lethal means safety through 83 actions.
Since implementing this campaign plan, the department has completed 20 SPRIRC recommendations and is planning significant investments for FY25 to address current trends. "The Department will continue to build on these efforts to demonstrate our unwavering commitment to the wellness, health, and morale of our Force," stated Secretary Austin.
The report details that in CY 2023, there were 523 suicides among service members—an increase from the previous year's total of 493. The Total Force rate of suicide deaths per 100,000 service members was up by nine percent compared to 2022. While active component suicide rates have risen since 2011—with a twelve percent increase in 2023 over the previous year—this change was not statistically significant.
Most individuals who died by suicide were young enlisted men. Firearms were identified as the primary method used by both service members (65 percent for Active Component) and family members (61 percent for spouses and 43 percent for dependents).
In CY 2022, there was a reduction in suicides among military family members with a total of 146 deaths compared to 165 in CY 2021. Despite every death being tragic, this decrease is cautiously seen as encouraging.
For Reserve and Guard components between 2011-2022, no significant long-term trend was observed; however, relative changes were noted with an eight percent increase for Reserve rates but a five percent decrease for National Guard rates from the previous year—both changes not statistically significant.
Military personnel or veterans experiencing crisis can access confidential support via the Veterans/Military Crisis Line available around-the-clock at call number "988" followed by pressing "1", texting "838225", or chatting online at MilitaryCrisisLine.net.
The full report is accessible at: https://www.dspo.mil/.
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