Pentagon Data Shows High Suicide Rates Among Troops Exposed to Blasts
The New York Times
A military report on suicide rates broken down by occupation finds the highest rates among categories of troops that often work and train around weapons blasts.
Troops whose jobs can expose them repeatedly to blasts have among the highest suicide rates in the armed forces, according to a new report by the Defense Department.
The report, released on Wednesday, lists the suicide rates for each military occupational specialty between 2011 and 2022.
Explosives ordinance disposal team members, who disable roadside bombs and routinely train and work around very large blasts, had the highest suicide rate — 34.77 deaths per 100,000 people per year — followed by infantry and special operations forces; armor crews; and artillery troops; whose rates are closer to 30 deaths per 100,000.
The rates for these combat occupations are roughly twice those of service members who work in noncombat jobs like data processing or food service.
The current national rate for civilians is about 14 deaths per 100,000 per year.
The report released on Wednesday does not mention blast exposure as a factor, and offers no insights into what may be contributing to the different suicide rates. Still, the correlation between deaths by suicide and levels of blast exposure is a common theme in the figures.
