Austin Implements Suicide Prevention Committee's Recommendations

The US Defense Department has announced that Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III has implemented the first of the recommendations by the Suicide Prevention and Response Independent Review Committee (SPRIRC) to address and prevent suicide in the military. Austin has directed the implementation of 10 of the SPRIRC's recommendations, including expediting the hiring process for behavioral health professionals and expanding the availability of behavioral health care. The undersecretary of defense for personnel and readiness will establish a Suicide Prevention Implementation Working Group to assess the advisability and feasibility of implementing each of the remaining recommendations.