Military bases in remote locations outside the contiguous United States have seen a slightly higher proportion of suicide attempts than bases on the mainland but lower rates of suicide deaths, a government watchdog said Wednesday.
Pentagon officials are attributing the lower deaths to the fact that service members outside the contiguous United States, or OCONUS, have limited access to non-military issued firearms, Brenda Farrell of the Government Accountability Office, or GAO, told a Senate hearing as she previewed the findings of an upcoming report from her office.
"Suicide deaths and attempts within the military are devastating events for families," Farrell told the Senate Armed Services Committee's personnel subcommittee during a hearing on suicide prevention. "Remote OCONUS installations may pose challenges that increase suicide risks."
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The GAO's report on suicide risks at remote bases was called for in last year's defense policy bill amid concerns about a spike in suicides among soldiers in Alaska.
At least 11 soldiers died by suicide in Alaska last year, while another six deaths remain under investigation.
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin recently established an independent commission, mandated by Congress, that will study suicides at three Alaska bases, as well as six other bases and units.
For its report, the GAO looked at bases in Alaska and Hawaii, as well as those outside the United States that have been designated by the Pentagon as remote for the purpose of morale, welfare and recreation funding; are identified as a hardship duty pay location; or have a less than standard tour length due to quality-of-life factors.
From 2016 to 2020, the Pentagon recorded 98 suicide deaths and 609 suicide attempts among active-duty service members at those remote locations, according to Farrell's written testimony.
In its analysis, the GAO found that about half of service member suicide deaths in the contiguous United States involved non-military issued firearms, she said. By contrast, just one-quarter of suicide deaths outside the contiguous United States involved non-military issued firearms.
Still, Alaska and Hawaii were comparable to the contiguous states, with 46% of suicide deaths in those two states involving non-military issued firearms, according to the written testimony.
Defense officials interviewed by GAO investigators idenitified suicide risk factors at the remote locations including less access to mental health services, increased social isolation and extreme weather conditions, Farrell testified.
But the Pentagon does not have a process to systematically assess suicide risk at these installations, she added.
"Establishing such a process could enhance related suicide prevention efforts," she said.
Farrell cited staffing shortages for behavioral health personnel and gaps in training for commanders on responding to suicide deaths and attempts as contributing to the problems at remote posts.
Sen. Dan Sullivan, R-Alaska, expressed concern at the hearing about the difficulty of attracting behavioral and mental health staff to work in remote places such as his state, saying he's heard of soldiers having to wait 60 days for appointments.
"A lot of times, these people, these great young Americans, don't have 60 days," he said.
Chris Ford, CEO of Stop Soldier Suicide, told Sullivan that commanders in Alaska have asked for help from his organization, resulting in a digital ad campaign launched March 22 to alert service members and their families of the organization's telehealth services. Since the ad, at least one new person has signed up to be a client, Ford added. The organization is also relocating a clinician from Colorado to Alaska.
"It's a tough environment. I can't solve all of that through telehealth -- the darkness, the long days, the frigidity -- but we're doing everything we can as a community-based provider to offer care," Ford said.
If you are a service member or veteran who needs help, it is available 24/7 at the Veterans and Military Crisis Line, 800-273-8255 (press 1), by texting 838255, or through the online chat function at www.veteranscrisisline.net.
-- Rebecca Kheel can be reached at rebecca.kheel@military.com. Follow her on Twitter @reporterkheel.
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