Developing a research strategy for suicide prevention in the Department of Defense: Status of current research, prioritizing areas of need, and recommendations for moving forward

In response to the elevated rate of suicide among U.S. service members, a congressionally mandated task force recommended that the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) create a unified, comprehensive strategic plan for suicide prevention research to ensure that DoD-funded studies align with DoD’s goals. To help meet this objective, a RAND study cataloged the research funded by DoD and other entities that is directly relevant to military personnel, examined the extent to which current research maps to DoD’s strategic research needs, and provided recommendations to ensure that proposed research strategies align with the national research strategy and integrate with DoD’s data collection and program evaluation strategies. The study found that although DoD is one of the largest U.S. funders of research related to suicide prevention, its current funding priorities do not consistently reflect its research needs.