US Military Suicides Continued to Increase in 2023: Pentagon Report

The Pentagon has vowed to take action, including through financial investments, to address rising suicide rates.

American flag sit on display to honor US Military veterans in Handy Park, in Orange, Calif., on Nob. 11, 2024. John Fredricks/The Epoch Times

Suicides increased among U.S. military service members in 2023, continuing a gradual rise seen over the past decade, according to the Department of Defense’s annual report on suicide in the military.

A total of 523 service members—including active, reserve, and National Guard—died by suicide in 2023, up from 493 in 2022, according to the Pentagon’s report, while the total force rate of suicide deaths per 100,000 service members was 9 percent higher than in 2022, at 25.6 per 100,000.