Suicide rates of airmen dropped by 49 percent from Fiscal 2004 to 2005, according to Air Force statistics. There were 29 active duty suicides in 2005, a rate of 7.8 per 100,000 airmen. USAF officials credit the lower rates to a “state-of-the-art integrated system of policy and programs” called the Air Force Suicide Prevention Program, which the service created nine years ago.
With a shrinking fleet and growing operational demand, Air Force Special Operations Command sees the new OA-1K combat scout aircraft as key to a “new era,” officials say.