USA: Active-duty US soldiers committed suicide at a rate of more than one per day in the first quarter of this year, up 25% from the rate in 2022, according to a new Pentagon report. This rate represents a continuing crisis for America's military.

In its most recent report on the trend, the US Department of Defence (DOD) stated that active-duty suicides increased to 94 in the January-March period from 75 in the same quarter a year earlier. Since the April–June quarter of 2021, when there were 97 military suicides, the total was the highest for any three-month period.

Defence Suicide Prevention Office at the Pentagon stated in the report that the DOD is "fully committed to preventing suicides in our military community." It is tragic whenever someone takes their own life.

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Since the United States' "war on terror" officially started in 2001 after the terrorist attacks on the Pentagon and the World Trade Centre, the number of military suicides has increased significantly. In 2020, there were nearly 29 suicides per 100,000 soldiers, compared to 17.5 a decade earlier.

Reservists and veterans are not included in the active-duty figures. Approximately 17 former US soldiers commit suicide each day on average, according to government statistics. In the most recent quarter, 41 reserve members committed suicide, which is the same as a year ago.

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Suicides among US Army soldiers on active duty increased by 32% from a year earlier in the January-March quarter to reach 49. The number of suicides in the Marine Corps increased more dramatically, jumping by 75% to 14.

The Pentagon has attempted to stop the trend but has been unsuccessful so far. In February, a DOD advisory panel recommended that the US military implement measures such as prohibiting soldiers under the age of 25 from purchasing firearms and requiring a seven-day waiting period before ammunition sales.

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In each of the previous five years, there have been more than 300 active-duty suicides; the first quarter's total puts the military on track to reach close to 400 such deaths in 2023