Hearing of the Subcommittee on Military Personnel of the House Armed Services Committee - Opening Statement of Rep. Heck, Hearing on Update on Military Suicide Prevention Programs

Hearing

Today, Rep. Joseph Heck (R-NV), Chairman of the House Armed Services Subcommittee on Military Personnel, made the following remarks on the hearing titled "Update on Military Suicide Prevention Programs :"

"Today the Subcommittee meets to hear testimony on the efforts by the Department of Defense and the military services to prevent suicide by service members, family members and civilian employees.

I want to preface my statement by recognizing the tremendous work both the Department of Defense and the service leadership have done to respond to the disturbing trend of suicide in our armed forces. As a military commander who has had to deal with suicide within the ranks, I know firsthand that this has not been an easy task and I thank you for your hard work.

However, I am concerned that the recent Department of Defense Inspector General assessment of the Department's suicide prevention program identified a lack of clear policy guidance and synchronization of organizations responsible for executing the program. I'm also troubled that DOD has not completed the work necessary to begin reporting more comprehensive and inclusive statistics on military-related suicides as mandated by Congress last year. I look forward to hearing from our DOD witness how the Department is addressing these concerns.

Suicide is a difficult topic to discuss. But last year, 442 Active and Reserve service members took their own lives. Every one of them is a tragedy, every one of them has its own story, and every one of them demands that we not rest until we have taken action to change this extremely troubling statistic.

Suicide is a multi-faceted phenomenon that is not unique to the military. Unfortunately, in addition to the unique hardships of military service, our service members are subject to the same pressures that plague the rest of society: troubled relationships, substance abuse, financial difficulties.

Each of the military services and the Department of Defense has adopted strategies to reduce suicide within our troops. I would like to hear from our witnesses whether those strategies are working. How do you determine whether your programs incorporate the latest research and information on suicide prevention? I am also interested to know how Congress can further help and support your efforts."

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