Air Force units will reportedly take one day this summer to pause and address the alarming rise in suicides, an issue described by the Air Force chief of staff as "an adversary that is killing more of our airmen than any enemy on the planet."
According to Air Force Magazine, 79 suicides had been reported by the end of July — nearly as many as were recorded last year in about half the time. The service reported about 100 suicides per year in each of the past five years.
"Let's take a moment and breathe and spend a little time on our airmen and their resiliency, and make sure we're not missing anything when it comes to suicide and suicide awareness," Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force Kaleth Wright told the magazine.
Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. David Goldfein wrote to commanders explaining the decision to stand down.
Suicide happens "sometimes with, and often without, warning," Goldfein wrote. "Make this tactical pause matter. Make it yours and make it personal."
"Taking care of our airmen and their families so they can take care of the mission is our most sacred duty as leaders," he wrote.
During the stand-down, commanders must stop most operations and gather their units to discuss resiliency and mental health — and check on service members, the magazine reported.
Wright said there are "some common threads" in many cases, including "relationship problems, sometimes discipline issues."
"It's really hard to kind of nail down the why — why there's been such an increase," Wright told the magazine.
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