WASHINGTON — The U.S. military in 2020 saw active duty suicides increase for the fourth year in a row.
According to a Department of Defense report, a total of 377 active duty service members died by suicide in 2020. That number is up from 348 the year before.
Suicides among active duty service members have been steadily increasing since 2016 when there were 280.
The Department of Defense has a variety of suicide prevention efforts implemented by the individual military branches.
But members of the House Armed Services Subcommittee on Personnel said Wednesday it can take months for troops to get mental health treatment they seek.
"These delays are unacceptable and they cost lives," said Rep. Jackie Speier (D-CA). "And to make matters worse, when service members lose comrades in arms to suicide, they tell me that they feel blamed and unsupported by leadership."
Rep. Mike Gallagher (R-WI) said action is needed now.
"We cannot accept the new normal," he said. "We cannot accept the trend line of increase. We must look at this holistically and figure out how to do better."
Witnesses from the DoD said suicide prevention is "absolutely" a top priority for the department.
Dr. Karen Orvis, director of the Defense Suicide Prevention Office, said: "I am disheartened by the rates of suicides in our military. Every suicide is devastating and forever changes the lives of families and the broader communities."
She added: “The trends are not going in the right direction.”
The Government Accountability Office published a report on military suicide last April.
It cites "inefficient" use of staff and recommends the DoD improve efficiency to free resources for other suicide prevention activities.