The U.S. military says it isn't lessening its concerns over active duty member suicide rates even as numbers during the pandemic were reduced.
Rates of active military members who died by suicide went down last year.
A new Pentagon report showed that the suicide rate for active duty members was 582 in 2020 but went down to 519 in 2021.
A spokesperson for the Pentagon signaled that the rate is still concerning for the defense leaders, saying the U.S. military and the Pentagon are committed to tackling the issue of suicide within the force.
The military also says it is working to improve the quality of life for its service members.
While the lower rate could be seen as encouraging, suicide rates among active duty members have been considered high for the last decade.
Suicide rates among reserve military members and the National Guard remained flat, the report said.
