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Pasek 1 Michael Pasek Mrs. Lily Deen English 102 July 17, 2023 In recent years the United States military has reported staggering numbers of suicides, at a far greater rate than the average population. These suicides are a direct result of the militaries increased focus on readiness. The stress placed on readiness has caused a dramatic increase in training, more frequent deployments, and fast paced workplace tempo. When taken in context of the military that has been in near constant conflict for the last decade, it is not difficult to understand why our policies of readiness are driving some soldiers to believe they have no other recourse but to take their own lives. Many, if not all, of these tragedies are completely avoidable if more time was taken to account for soldier’s welfare, as opposed to simply looking at the welfare of the collective force. The leaders of our military have the power and the duty to address the issue of soldier suicide. To do so, they must accept that familial strain from constant deployments, economic stress, injuries from incessant training, and the strain of an unending “readiness” tempo is leading soldiers to resort to suicide for some sense of relief. It is understandable that the leaders of the greatest armed forces known to man have the responsibility to guarantee we are prepared for whatever future conflicts we may someday face. The solution presented has been a training calendar that features year-round, incessant training exercises. These exercises remove soldiers from their homes and families, often for weeks at a time, making it difficult to maintain a family structure. It is often cited that deployments, and the baggage that comes with them, is what drives soldiers to suicide. While this is true in some

Pasek 2 cases, a new study indicates that the majority of military suicide attempts occur in soldiers who have never deployed. According to a study published by JAMA Psychiatry, “We found the highest rates of suicide attempts were among never-deployed soldiers and those in their first years of service.” (Ursano 1). This is likely because the endless training schedule is difficult to adapt to, and these new soldiers find themselves trapped by the rigors of a military driven towards readiness. There must be a compromise that allows our fighting forces to remain lethal whilst considering soldier welfare. It is important to note that as a modern superpower, the United States is faced with enemies who are constantly evolving. The threat presented to our country by those who would do us harm is very real, and it is for this reason that our leaders push soldiers to be the best trained fighting force on the planet. Constant training is needed to guarantee that we stay ahead of the competition. However, they ignore the impacts that often come in tandem. One rarely addressed in the economic impact this rigorous schedule has. Take, for example, a young soldier with a husband and a baby. If this soldier can expect to be in the field at least once a month, often more, it can be nearly impossible for the husband to maintain a steady job as they will have obligations to the baby. Regardless of benefits provided to military families, it can be very difficult to provide a family with a lower enlisted salary. For perspective, a Private First Class makes roughly $1,800 a month. Without additional income from a spouse, providing a child with essentials like formula, diapers, and clothing becomes nearly impossible. Combine this with other bills and amenities, and it becomes an untenable situation. The training schedule makes this additional income very difficult to come by, which exacerbates the financial strain. Readiness is not always looked at as a force wide aspect. Soldiers are expected to maintain a certain level of individual readiness. Included in individual readiness is the

Pasek 3 expectation that the soldier will do everything in their power to remain healthy, fit, and prepared for deployment at a moments notice. The consequences of not maintaining individual readiness can be very severe, as Major Terry Brannan writes, “Commanders and S–1s must not hesitate to enforce readiness standards through all means available, including through a bar to reenlistment, a flag, a chapter from the military, the evaluation reporting system, and counseling forms.” (Brannan 1). This can often lead soldiers to hide symptoms of depression, stress, anxiety, and other things that might be pushing them towards the edge. The military, and the leadership structure that makes up its scaffolding, simply does not have the time to address these concerns within soldiers. Often soldiers face these issues and feel as though the unit command will not tolerate a soldier who can not meet the individual readiness standards. The soldier, fearing for their career, is left with no recourse but to bottle the emotions they are facing, with sometimes fatal consequences. The elephant in the room is deployments. We maintain the largest complex of military bases in the world, with approximately 800 military bases in more than 70 countries across the globe. These range from small forward operating bases of no more than 100 individuals, to massive installments like Camp Beuhring in Kuwait. Obviously, someone must man these stations, and this requires military members to be deployed. However, in recent years, the military has been trimming down on personnel using policies such as “Deploy or Get Out” which was introduced by General Mattis. This decrease in personnel has not led to a decrease in deployments, meaning the strain of maintaining our global presence has fallen on the soldiers who have remained in the force. Deployments take their toll on soldiers. According to “ Suicide Risk and Risk of Death Among Recent Veterans ,” a study produced by the Public Health department of the VA, deployed veterans had a 41% higher risk of death by suicide than the

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