U.S. soldiers were almost nine times more likely to die by suicide than by enemy fire, according to a Pentagon study for the five-year period ending in 2019.
The study, published in May by the Defense Health Agency, found that suicide was the leading cause of death among active-duty soldiers from 2014 to 2019. There were 883 suicide deaths during that time period. Accidents were the No. 2 cause with 814 deaths. There were 96 combat deaths.
The suicide figures from 2019 predate some Army and Pentagon initiatives to combat suicide, including a workforce that addresses harmful behaviors like alcohol abuse that can contribute to deaths by suicide. In addition, combat deaths declined from 31 in 2014 to 16 in 2019 as deployments to war zones in the Middle East and Afghanistan decreased.
Suicide, meanwhile, has increased among active-duty soldiers, according to figures obtained by USA TODAY. So far in 2024, 55 soldiers have died by suicide.
Army officials, in an interview with USA TODAY, pointed to increasing rates of suicide in U.S. society as whole that are reflected in their ranks. They also talked about new tactics they’re using to reduce suicide.
Prep for the polls: See who is running for president and compare where they stand on key issues in our Voter Guide
More:Alaska’s army bases see glimmer of hope after ‘horrifically high’ suicide rates among soldiers
The rate of suicide, measured by deaths per 100,000 soldiers, generally has been climbing since 2019 when the rate was 28.8 per 100,000. For active-duty soldiers in 2020, the rate was 36.2 per 100,000. It declined in 2021 to 36.1, and in 2022 it fell to 28.9. In 2023, it jumped to 36.6. In 2024, the rate is 31.8 through most of May, according to figures obtained by USA TODAY.
For all Americans, the rate of suicide has climbed 37% since 2000. In 2021, the last year of available data, the rate per 100,000 was 14.1.
The Army’s struggle to curb suicide grew especially acute in Alaska during the study’s timeframe and after.
At Fort Wainwright in Alaska’s isolated, frigid interior, 11 soldiers died by suicide between January 2014 and March 2019. That spike alarmed Army officials, and a commission examining the problem called for spending more than $200 million for better barracks for soldiers and sheltered garages to maintain their combat vehicles.