The Space Force has publicly disclosed its first deaths by suicide — the first since becoming the newest military service branch in 2019, according to the latest data.
The Pentagon, which maintains and releases suicide data among all the service branches, disclosed in its most recent quarterly suicide report for 2023 that two Guardians died by suicide sometime between April and June.
Until this year, the relatively tiny and new Space Force had been an outlier among the other services as they have struggled to reduce the number of troops who take their own lives.
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“The Department of the Air Force reports suicide rates for airmen and Guardians to the Department of Defense on a quarterly basis so we can detect long-term trends and adjust prevention efforts and resources accordingly,” said Maj. Tanya Downsworth, an Air Force spokeswoman.
The Space Force, with about 8,600 active-duty Guardians, is the smallest of all the service branches, but is not immune to the same issues facing all of the services when it comes to mental health.
Last year, according to the 2022 report, the Space Force experienced no deaths by suicide. By comparison, the Air Force — active-duty, reserve and Guard — saw 91 suicides last year. So far, in the first two quarters of 2023, the latest data available, the Air Force has seen 46 deaths by suicide.
The 2022 Pentagon suicide report, released…
