Department to Monitor Suicide Deaths Based on Military Job Classifications under New Legislation
Catching a Glimpse into Military Suicide Rates: The Latest Developments
The Defense Department finds itself under the microscope yet again as the fiscal 2025 defense policy bill demands transparency on military suicide data. Here's a breakdown of the situation, filled with insights from the battlefield of Congress.
Rolling the Dice on Data
The latest bill requires the Defense Department to include the military occupational specialty (MOS) of service members who take their lives in its annual report on suicide deaths. However, it remains unclear just how much information the department will be willing to disclose.
Section 736 of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) of 2025 calls for a detailed breakdown of suicide deaths by MOS, comparing rates across different career fields to identify potential trouble spots within the military. Alarm bells rang for advocates, who believe this transparency could help officials better understand the root causes of suicide among specific military occupations.
From Politicians to Pentagon: A Politico-Military Dance
In December 2022, Congress passed this provision, along with the rest of the NDAA, and it now waits for final signature from President Joe Biden. This provision stems from an initiative by Senator Angus King (I-Maine), coming four months after the Defense Department delivered a report breaking down suicide deaths by MOS since 2011.
Past Battles, Future Wars
The 2023 NDAA had already tasked the Pentagon with providing a breakdown of military suicides since 2001 by year, MOS, and status (Active-Duty, Reserve, or National Guard). Previous reports revealed that certain occupations seemed to have higher suicide rates than others. Retired Air Force Master Sgt. Chris McGhee, a former F-16 maintainer, sees this as a starting point to investigate the plight of these career fields.
Much to everyone's chagrin, the 2023 report was less than impressive. It identified several broad categories of military jobs with high suicide rates, but failed to break the data down to individual career fields. Even a 2010 study by the Department of Defense (DOD) suggested otherwise, reporting suicide deaths even when they were fewer than 20.
The Dance of Data Privacy
When it comes to disclosure, the Pentagon has expressed concerns about privacy. According to a defense official, they are adamant about ensuring that publicly reported data does not lead to the identification of service members who have died by suicide. They argue that releasing data that has been stratified by various categories introduces significant privacy risks for service members and their families.
McGhee acknowledges that the 2023 NDAA doesn't mandate the report be made public, just as long as it is sent to Congress. However, he and others in King's office have been working tirelessly on the 2025 NDAA, pushing for more specific and detailed MOS data in future annual suicide death reports.
A Game of Compliance
In the 2025 NDAA, language urges the Defense Department to include as much information as possible in the report, even if it results in incomplete data. The bill also allows the Defense Department to exclude certain MOS data if it doesn't provide statistically valid results. King's office insists this doesn't contradict the joint statement, as it actually pressures the department to provide as much information as it justifies.
Navigating the Battlefield
It's a delicate balance between maintaining privacy and providing necessary information to support our servicemembers. The Defense Department has expressed a willingness to work collaboratively with Congress to address this problem, even engaging members ahead of time to discuss the upcoming annual suicide report.
Despite these collaborative efforts, McGhee remains skeptical, expressing concerns that the department may continue to ignore the demands of the legislation and that the provision in the 2025 NDAA may simply amount to more empty promises. Only time will tell how this unfolds in the coming months.
Caring for Our Military: Resources to Help
For service members and veterans who are in crisis or having thoughts of suicide, and those who know a service member or veteran in crisis, help is available 24/7 through the Veterans/Military Crisis Line at 988, or by texting 988 or chatting online at VeteransCrisisLine.net/Chat.
- The Defense Department is required to reveal the military occupational specialty (MOS) of service members who die by suicide in its annual report on suicide deaths, as per the provisions of the fiscal 2025 defense policy bill.
- Senator Angus King (I-Maine) initiated the requirement for detailed suicide death reports by MOS, which is now included in the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) of 2025.
- The 2023 NDAA already mandated a breakdown of military suicides by year, MOS, and status (Active-Duty, Reserve, or National Guard), but the 2023 report provided only broad categories of high suicide rate jobs.
- The Pentagon has concerns about privacy when it comes to disclosing data, arguing that releasing data that has been stratified by various categories could lead to the identification of service members who have died by suicide.
- The 2025 NDAA urges the Defense Department to include as much information as possible in the report, but also allows for the exclusion of certain MOS data if it doesn't provide statistically valid results.
- Retired Air Force Master Sgt. Chris McGhee, a former F-16 maintainer, believes that a detailed breakdown of suicide deaths by MOS could help officials better understand the root causes of suicide among specific military occupations.
- For service members, veterans, or their loved ones in crisis or having thoughts of suicide, the Veterans/Military Crisis Line (988) offers 24/7 help through phone, text, or chat.
