The number of suicides among military personnel increased again in 2023, according to the Defense Department’s annual report on suicide released Thursday. The long-term trend of rising military suicides has been a persistent issue that the Pentagon said it plans to address with additional funding in 2025. 

In 2023, 523 service members died by suicide, an increase from 493 suicide deaths in 2022. The number of active duty service members who died by suicide went up from 331 deaths in 2022 to 363 in 2023. 

The number of suicide deaths went up from 65 to 69 among the Reserve service members, although the number of deaths slightly decreased for the members of the National Guard in 2023.

The increase in suicide deaths in 2023 was primarily driven by spikes in the Army and Air Force. Meanwhile, the Navy saw a slight increase in their numbers, while the Marine Corps numbers remained the same. 

The Marine Corps, however, has the highest rate of suicide among all service branches, with at least 61 Marines dying by suicide, which results in a rate of 35 suicides per 100,000 members.

The Air Force and the Navy had the lowest rate in 2023, with about 21 cases per 100,000 Airmen and 19 cases per 100,000 sailors.

All four services, however, have seen a steady rise in suicide deaths since 2011, when the Defense Department started tracking suicide numbers.

Military officials said the Defense Department assesses suicide rates — the number of suicides per 100,000 people per year — rather than the raw number of suicides, given that the size of the active-duty force has decreased in recent years. 

The report shows that young, male enlisted service members remain the most affected by suicides in the military, and the most common method of suicide among these troops is the use of a firearm.

As for military family members, suicide rates in 2022 were slightly lower than in 2021. Overall, the number of suicide deaths among military spouses and dependents has been on the rise since 2011.

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin made addressing the long-term rise in suicides across DoD one of his top priorities at the beginning of his term in office. In 2022, he set up the Suicide Prevention and Response Independent Review Committee to develop new strategies and recommendations focused on finding ways to improve mental health support services for military personnel and addressing quality of life issues.

Last year, the committee issued a report with 127 recommendations aimed at addressing the issue, including promoting gun safety and providing additional resources to help service members access support services.

“When it comes to suicide, one loss to suicide is too many,” Deputy Pentagon Press Secretary Sabrina Singh told reporters Thursday. “We owe it to our service members and families to provide the best possible care, to identify risk factors and spot warning signs, and to eliminate stigmas around seeking help.”

Although the commission made specific recommendations regarding firearms safety, the Pentagon opted for encouraging and incentivizing safe firearm practices rather than imposing gun regulations.

The Defense Department also plans to bring in over 2,000 new mental health personnel over the next four years.

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