WASHINGTON – U.S. soldiers were nearly nine times more likely to die by suicide than from enemy fire, according to a Pentagon study covering the five-year period ending in 2019.

The study, released in May by the Defense Health Agency, identified suicide as the leading cause of death among active-duty soldiers between 2014 and 2019, with 883 deaths attributed to suicide. Accidents ranked second with 814 deaths, while combat fatalities numbered 96.

The 2019 suicide statistics were recorded before the implementation of several Army and Pentagon initiatives aimed at reducing suicides. These efforts include addressing contributing factors like alcohol abuse. Additionally, combat deaths decreased from 31 in 2014 to 16 in 2019, coinciding with a reduction in deployments to war zones in the Middle East and Afghanistan.

Meanwhile, suicide rates among active-duty soldiers have risen, according to data obtained by TODAY US NEWS 24. In 2024 alone, 55 soldiers have died by suicide.

In an interview with TODAY US NEWS 24, Army officials noted that the rising suicide rates within the military mirror the broader trend in U.S. society. They also discussed new strategies being implemented to address and reduce suicides among soldiers.

**More:** Alaska's army bases see glimmer of hope after 'horrifically high' suicide rates among soldiers.

The suicide rate among soldiers, measured per 100,000 individuals, has generally increased since 2019 when it was 28.8 per 100,000. For active-duty soldiers, the rate rose to 36.2 per 100,000 in 2020, slightly decreased to 36.1 in 2021, and further dropped to 28.9 in 2022. However, it spiked again to 36.6 in 2023. As of May 2024, the rate stands at 31.8 per 100,000, according to figures obtained by TODAY US NEWS 24.

Increased military spending hasn't solved the suicide problem

The spending didn’t stem the problem. There were eight suicide deaths among soldiers stationed in Alaska in 2019, seven in 2020, and a distressing 17 in 2021. Following a TODAY US NEWS 24 investigation, the Army, urged by Congress, deployed dozens of mental health professionals to the state, reducing the number of suicides to six in 2022.

**More:** An Alaskan army base is the epicenter of military suicides. Soldiers know why.

Last September, acting on recommendations from an independent commission studying military suicides, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin outlined the Pentagon's strategy to prevent further deaths. This includes improving access to mental health counseling and promoting safe storage of firearms, which are involved in 70% of suicide deaths.

The Pentagon also plans to hire up to 2,000 personnel over the next four years to address behaviors that can lead to suicide and sexual assault, such as excessive drinking. The first members of the Integrated Primary Prevention Workforce were deployed to the highest-risk bases last year.



Gunshot wounds accounted for 65% of the Army's suicide deaths, according to the study.

"Evaluation of various public health suicide prevention programs and services, and a greater emphasis on firearm storage and safety, may be needed to reduce suicide," the study's authors noted.

The Army has been working to make safe gun storage as instinctive as fastening a seat belt, said Carrie Shult, the Army's suicide prevention program manager. Secured firearms are less likely to be used by a soldier experiencing a suicidal impulse.

At Fort Cavazos in Texas, a program that emphasizes regular discussions about gun storage among leaders and peers has led to better planning by soldiers, Shult said.

"We've seen some great initial results from that project and we're also looking to extend that in other areas," she stated.

The Army's approach to suicide prevention has evolved over the past four years, said Col. Kevin Goke, an official in the Army's Directorate of Prevention, Resilience & Readiness. The focus has shifted from viewing suicide solely as a mental health issue to addressing a variety of stressors on soldiers, including financial problems and broken relationships, that can contribute to a crisis.

Training has also focused on reducing the stigma around seeking help, he said. Soldiers are now encouraged to ask each other if they're considering self-harm.

"As a behavioral health provider, it's a very easy question for me to ask," Goke said. "But we've promoted this question in a way that makes it approachable, encouraging everyone to ask it."