Pentagon Blames China For Troop Suicides Rising

A U.S. Army soldier from 2nd Stryker Brigade Combat of the 5th Infantry Division based in Hawaii watches while a CH-47 Chinook helicopter prepares to land during an air assault exercise with their Philippine counterparts inside the military training camp of Fort Magsaysay in Nueva Ecija province north of Manila, in 2015 as the Philippines voiced alarm about Chinese

USA Today: Troop suicides rise as Pentagon official points to US military stretched by China

WASHINGTON – A "disturbing" surge in suicide deaths among troops has alarmed senior Pentagon officials who say demands for U.S. troops around the world have grown unsustainable and are contributing to mental health problems.

The increase in death by suicide, particularly acute in the Army, appears unrelated to Iraq and Afghanistan, where deployments have declined in recent years. Instead, the unpredictability of life in the military and the constant demand from commanders for overseas patrols by ships and warplanes, as well as the presence of ground troops, has frayed the force, according to a senior Defense Department official.

The Pentagon divides the world into neighborhoods, six sections of the globe overseen by four-star officers. While demand has waned for Central Command, which includes Afghanistan and Iraq, other commanders have been aggressive about seeking more forces, often citing the rise of Chinese influence, according to the official, who is familiar with the requests but not authorized to speak publicly about them.

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WNU Editor: Is not having enough troops and equipment to face China and the long deployments it causes a reason for suicide rates among US soldiers rising? You tell me.