Sailors who are struggling with urges to commit suicide have to wait more than a month to get a mental health appointment, the Navy’s top enlisted leader said on Capitol Hill.
Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy Russell Smith addressed the mental health issues within the military branch during a House subcommittee hearing on Wednesday.
“For those who are on the precipice of suicide, appointment times average five weeks,” Smith told legislators on the subcommittee on military construction, veterans affairs, and related agencies. “I can personally attest to this as I sought care last year and we had to use a private provider at my own expense — something our sailors should never have to endure.”
Smith’s testimony lingers in the shadows of the USS George Washington’s situation. Seven sailors assigned to the ship have committed suicide since 2019, four of which have happened in the past year, and three of them occurred during a weeklong period last month.
Normal mental health problems were likely exacerbated by the renovations to the ship that were extended another year. Smith said keeping sailors on ships that are in shipyards hurts morale.
“The pragmatic answer is to be honest with [sailors] and acknowledge and validate as they’re feeling the frustration … while still telling them that if [they’re] not willing to do what they do, the George Washington doesn’t have another 25 years of life to defend this nation,” Smith said when he was asked what the Navy can do.
Mental health has long been a concern for the military, and the COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated the problem.
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin ordered the creation of an independent panel to review military suicides in March. The Suicide Prevention and Response Independent Review Committee will review nine military bases stateside and overseas and “conduct a comprehensive review of the Department’s efforts to address and prevent suicide,” Austin wrote in a memo.
The Pentagon recorded 580 suicides from military members during the 2020 calendar year, which represents a 15% increase from the 504 tallied the year before.
