Army's suicide crisis in Alaska spurs bipartisan call for action

A bipartisan group of lawmakers called on the Army to address its alarming problem of suicide in Alaska, requesting plans to improve living conditions and ensure soldiers have timely access to mental health counselors, a key finding of a USA TODAY investigation into suicide deaths there.

Rep. Jackie Speier, D-Calif., and Alaska's Republican senators Lisa Murkowski and Dan Sullivan wrote to Army Sec. Christine Wormuth about the Army's suicide crisis that is responsible for the confirmed or suspected deaths of 17 soldiers in Alaska in 2021. The total, first reported by USA TODAY in January, is...