Washington-SANA
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The rate of suicide in service by US military personnel has increased dramatically over the past five years, a Pentagon report said on Tuesday.
The Pentagon said in its first annual report on suicide that the rate of suicide of soldiers in service was 24.8 per 100,000, up from about 20 per 100,000 in 2013.
The report said 541 soldiers committed suicide in 2018, noting that suicide with a firearm was the most common.
The report comes after three US sailors working on the USS George W. Bush committed suicide last week and the Navy said
Separate accidents.
"We are not moving in the right direction," said Elizabeth Van Winkle, who is in charge of the Pentagon file.
The phenomenon of suicide is a problem for the Pentagon, which launched several programs to reduce this phenomenon and protect the lives of military personnel for Americans.
