Will this Secretary of Defense Pay Attention to Military Suicides?

Senate Gives Approval for Defense Secretary, if Not His Boss’s Policies
Ashton B. Carter Is Confirmed as Defense Chief, Replacing Chuck Hagel
New York Times
By EMMARIE HUETTEMAN
FEB. 12, 2015

Ashton B. Carter answered questions during a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing last week. The committee approved his nomination unanimously. Credit Jabin Botsford/The New York Times

WASHINGTON — The Senate on Thursday confirmed Ashton B. Carter to be the next defense secretary, installing a new Pentagon chief as the United States increases military action against the Islamic State.

Mr. Carter, a former deputy defense secretary who is President Obama’s choice to replace Chuck Hagel, was approved by a vote of 93 to 5, a striking scene of accord as tensions mount over the wait to confirm Loretta E. Lynch as the next attorney general. Five Republicans opposed Mr. Carter’s confirmation.

The transition to a new Pentagon chief comes as Congress considers a number of pressing defense issues, including a request

Republicans were cautious to draw a distinction between supporting Mr. Carter and supporting Mr. Obama, especially as many lawmakers expressed reservations about the parameters of the authorization regarding the use of ground troops and its place with an existing authorization for military action.

Senator Mark S. Kirk, Republican of Illinois, who voted against Mr. Carter, said, “Mine is a vote of no confidence in the national security decisions of this administration.”

Senator John McCain, Republican of Arizona and the chairman of the Armed Services Committee, called Mr. Carter “one of America’s most experienced defense professionals.” But he said he did not think Mr. Obama would put his full faith in Mr. Carter.

“When it comes to much of our national security policy, I must candidly express concern about the task that awaits Dr. Carter and the limited influence he may have,” he said.
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Blast from the past since 2001,

Donald H. Rumsfeld served as the 21st Secretary of Defense from January 2001 to December 2006. Before assuming this post, the former Navy pilot had also served as the 13th Secretary of Defense, White House Chief of Staff, U.S. Ambassador to NATO, U.S. Congressman and chief executive officer of two Fortune 500 companies.

Secretary Rumsfeld had directed the actions of the Defense Department in response to the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001. Thus far, the Global War on Terror has resulted in the liberation of 25 million Afghanis and 27 million Iraqis, with free elections in both of those nations. Two-thirds of known Al Qaeda leaders have been captured or killed.

Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld faced renewed criticism Sunday from lawmakers, including one prominent Republican, after he said he has not personally signed letters sent to family members of troops killed in action.

Rumsfeld made the acknowledgment in a statement to military newspaper Stars and Stripes, saying that he would begin signing such letters.

Stars and Stripes had reported that Rumsfeld's letters carried a mechanical reproduction of his signature, which angered some military families.

Sen. Chuck Hagel, a leading GOP critic of Rumsfeld, called the news about the letters "astounding," and noted that President Bush signs each of his letters to military families.

"I think it's very reflective of how out of touch this crowd is," the Nebraskan said on CBS' "Face the Nation." "My goodness, that's the least that we could expect of the secretary of defense."

2006 Suicide Rate for Soldiers Sets a Record for the Army

Officials reported 948 suicide attempts, but there were no comparisons for previous years. In the 500,000-member Army, the suicide toll translates to a rate of 17.3 per 100,000, the highest since the Army started counting in 1980, officials said. The rate hit a low of 9.1 per 100,000 in 2001.

Dr. Robert M. Gates served as U.S. Secretary of Defense from December 2006 to July 2011.
Dr. Gates was the only Secretary of Defense in U.S. history to be asked to remain in that office by a newly elected President. President Barack Obama was the eighth president Dr. Gates served.

Before becoming the , Dr. Gates was the President of Texas A and M University, the nation's seventh largest university. Prior to assuming the Texas A and M presidency, on August 1, 2002, he served as Interim Dean of the George Bush School of Government and Public Service at Texas A and M from 1999 to 2001.

Active-Duty Soldiers Take Their Own Lives at Record Rate
General Chiarelli held the news conference to release a new report, “Generating Health and Discipline in the Force,” a review of the overall health of the Army after a decade of war in Iraq and Afghanistan, the longest period of conflict in the nation’s history. The report, printed well before Thursday, did not include the final number of 164 suicides among active-duty soldiers for 2011. General Chiarelli disclosed that statistic at the news conference, as well as the number of suicides among active-duty troops from 2008 to 2010.

General Chiarelli said that if nonmobilized National Guard and Reserve units were included, Army suicides dropped to 278 in 2011, from 305 in 2010.

Active-duty Army suicide rates have been higher than civilian rates since 2008, when there were nearly 20 suicides per 100,000 in the Army, compared with close to 18 suicides per 100,000 in a civilian population that was adjusted to be comparable to Army demographics. The Army projects that final 2011 numbers will be more than 24 suicides among active-duty soldiers per 100,000, another record high.

Leon Edward Panetta served as the 23rd Secretary of Defense from July 2011 to February 2013. Before joining the Department of Defense, Mr. Panetta served as the Director of the Central Intelligence Agency from February 2009 to June 2011. Mr. Panetta led the agency and managed human intelligence and open source collection programs on behalf of the intelligence community.

Each branch of the service showed an increase. The Army had by far the highest number of suicides and probable suicides -- 182, a numbmber that was up from 166 in 2011. The Navy had 60 suicides in 2012 compared with 52 the year before, followed by the Air Force with 59 (up from 51) and the Marine Corps with 48 (up from 32).

For years, the Pentagon has struggled with how to identify service members at risk for suicide and to provide counseling and other services. The Army and Navy have focused on teaching "resiliency" to troops in hopes of helping them cope with stress. Military experts have long said one of the enduring challenges is that there doesn't appear to be a direct link between suicides and the stress of being in the combat zone.

Chuck Hagel is the 24th Secretary of Defense. Over his tenure, he directed significant steps to modernize America’s partnerships and alliances, advance the rebalance in Asia-Pacific, bolster support for European allies, and enhance defense cooperation in the Middle East while overseeing the end of America’s combat mission in Afghanistan. In addition, he led major initiatives for service members and their families, including increasing resources for suicide prevention, combating sexual assault, and accounting for missing personnel. Further, Secretary Hagel improved partnerships with the Department of Veterans Affairs, to include health record interoperability, service treatment record transferability, and continuity of mental health services and support. Secretary Hagel launched the Defense Innovation Initiative to better prepare the Pentagon for future threats, and enacted comprehensive reforms to the Nuclear Enterprise and Military Health system. He is the only Vietnam veteran and the first enlisted combat veteran to serve as Secretary of Defense.

And not one of them got the Department of Defense to stop their resilience training. Not one of them actually noticed that when they started to "address" military suicides and reduce the stigma, suicides went up. Not one of them paid attention to what was happening in the Warrior Transition Units. Not one of them actually made sure the DOD was in fact doing post deployment screenings. Not one of them made sure they stopped kicking out PTSD troops under personality disorders and other excuses to get them out instead of helping them heal.

Not one of them have held leaders accountable. Will this one?