[T]he Veterans Administration now estimates that a veteran dies by suicide every 80 minutes. The problem is systemic and growing. Tomorrow, the Center for a New American Security will issue the report “Losing the Battle: The Challenge of Military Suicide.’’ In a compelling narrative, the authors, Dr. Margaret Harrell and Nancy Berglass, provide workable recommendations to address this national crisis. But perhaps the study’s longest-lasting contribution is its explanation of why we, as a nation, should care at all. There has always been the do-gooder answer – that this is what we owe to the men and women who have fought in Iraq and Afghanistan. But the suicide crisis is really about the future of our military. The shocking number of suicides in the all-volunteer force will make recruitment of the best talent vastly more difficult. Heartstrings aside, if service in an all-volunteer army comes to be associated with depression and misery, then solving the problem is as crucial for the next war as the ones now winding down. This simple fact – that the fight against suicide is both about the individual and the institution – means the military can’t rest until its suicide rate is as low as that of the general population. And it must understand the different needs of those who have served and those who still wear the uniform.

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