SEPTEMBER 23, 2024 — In the past year, the Army bolstered its approach toward addressing suicide in its ranks by publishing an updated suicide prevention program policy and transforming messaging that stresses fostering healthy community and unit environments for Soldiers, Family members and Army civilians.
As a result, the Army has transitioned from simply reacting to incidents of self-harm to adopting a community-based, public-health framework systems approach to prevention, said Col. Kevin Goke, chief of the Ready, Resilient, Training and Integration Division at the Pentagon’s DCS G-9 Directorate of Prevention, Resilience and Readiness. DPRR is the Army’s lead for prevention and quality of life programs.
“We as an Army are a community, and we are focused on the community public health approach to suicide prevention,” Goke said.
To provide Soldiers with greater access to behavioral health service and medical care, the service partnered with the Defense Health Agency to match Soldiers’ health needs with the correct resources.
Earlier this year the Army launched its “More To Be Done” and “We Are Stronger Together” campaigns to bring a culture of trust, resilience and more attention to the prevention of suicide and harmful behaviors.
The Army recently updated its Ask, Care, Escort, or ACE program. The initiative promotes new suicide prevention strategies for Army leaders to use to train Soldiers on how to intervene during crisis situations and assist troops with suicidal ideations.
“Warfighters never fight alone and shouldn’t fight alone,” Sgt. Maj. of the Army Michael R. Weimer said. “Whether it’s a physical or mental fight, we must take care of our teammates and ourselves. Suicide prevention is a team effort.”
The program includes four modules of interactive suicide awareness training. The Army upgraded training to include a lethal means safety and security module and the Circle of Support for Family Members. The directorate encourages all Soldiers to take the training, particularly first line leaders, civilian supervisors and Soldier and family readiness group leaders.
Reducing suicide continues to be an ongoing challenge for the Army and Defense Department. Service-wide, young male Soldiers between ages of 21-29 in the ranks of private first class to staff sergeant remain at the highest risk for death by suicide. Soldiers in operations careers such as infantry and Stryker brigade combat units, married Soldiers, Soldiers with one or no deployments also could be vulnerable, according to the report.
Soldiers who experience financial setbacks, relationship problems, substance abuse or legal troubles could be more at risk for suicidal ideations or self-harm behaviors, according to the directorate.
Soldiers in a state of transition, which could range from a permanent change-of-station move to transitioning out of the hospital, are at an elevated risk, Goke said.
To help commanders identify risk factors and deliver resources to Soldiers, the Army established the Commander’s Risk Reduction Toolkit, which compiles a list of up to 50 high risk factors related to legal affairs, health, substance abuse and other demographics.
“[The tool] helps the command put that entire picture together,” Goke said. “Because typically one singular risk factor is not what stresses folks out to the point it results in deaths; it’s a compilation of risk factors.”
Additionally, the Army has assigned behavioral health specialists and behavioral health officers to each command to advise commanders on directing Soldiers to the appropriate resources.
In the unfortunate instance of a loss, Army installation leaders now complete the Commander Suspected Suicide Event Report, a document that identifies and tracks potential stressors that could contribute to suicide. The report uses a standardized approach that lists a Soldier’s background, previous incidents where they’ve attempted self-harm, suicide prevention training and behavior health counseling history. This data is compiled in order to improve community-based trends to assist in the use of targeted interventions and resources.
Contrary to assumptions, Goke said Defense Department estimates show no correlation between deployments and suicides. However, Goke acknowledged that Soldiers are very busy with taskings, trainings and rotational deployments across the globe.
“It is part of the challenging part of military life,” Goke said. “I know it personally; I’ve had it for 23 years.”
Goke said that death by firearm remains the top method of suicide. To help Soldiers create time and space between thoughts of suicide and access to lethal means like firearms, the Army published the Lethal Means Safety Toolkit in August 2023. Also, the Army has partnered with the Department of Veterans Affairs to provide free gunlocks to Soldiers who legally own licensed firearms. Some installations have worked with off post rod and gun clubs to develop solutions for storage of weapons outside of the home.
After introducing Army Regulation 600-92, the service’s first stand-alone policy for the program in September 2023, the Defense Department announced that suicide numbers had dropped from 2021 to 2022. Although multiple factors contributed to the decline, Goke said that fluctuations in suicide rates cannot be used as a measurement for success or failure, rather the Army approaches success as “saving one life at a time.”
“We have a safety net system that is in place for Soldiers, family members, and Army civilians,” Goke said. “You’re part of this Army community. And it creates social connectedness. If you’re connected to somebody, you’re willing to ask them if they’re struggling day to day.”
Soldiers who are considering Suicide or experiencing a mental health crisis can call the military crisis line by dialing 988 and pressing one. The resilience directorate published suicide ideation battle drills to help identify suicidal thoughts and how to address them. The battle drills are available to Command Teams, Soldiers and Family members through DPRR’s website.
Soldiers and Army civilians want to know more about the resources and programs can visit the directorate’s Suicide Prevention website.
The Army Directorate of Prevention, Resilience and Readiness contributed to this report.
By Joe Lacdan, Army News Service