The number of Air Force personnel who committed suicide jumped some 14 percent over a 10-year average, states a service news release. The 2006 rate—based on the number of deaths per 100,000 airmen—was 11.4, up from 7.8 in 2005. However, service officials say this does not portend a trend, instead, said Lt. Col. Steven Pflanz, with the Air Force Medical Operations Agency suicide prevention office, it is “most indicative of the random variations year-to-year.” The 2006 rate is down significantly from the 2004 rate of 15.2, and the 10-year average dropped to 28 percent fewer suicides than the previous decade, which Pflanz attributes to USAF’s 1996 implementation of a suicide prevention program. (Read more about this issue in our 2005 article “Suicide in the Ranks.”)
Watchdog Says Military Can Make Cyber Ops More Efficient
Sept. 17, 2025
The Government Accountability Office called for paring down the military's sprawling cyber enterprise in a recent report, amid renewed discussion about standing up a separate cyber force.
