Commander Jonathan Volkle's tragic death highlights the US Navy's battle with rising suicide rates

CLEVELAND, OHIO: Commander Jonathan Michael Volkle, the executive officer of the littoral combat ship USS Marinette, has reportedly died by an apparent suicide aboard the ship on October 27.

The 44-year-old married father-of-two “was found unresponsive and later pronounced deceased” on his ship while it was moored in Cleveland, Ohio, stated a statement from US Surface Force Atlantic.

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“Our thoughts go out to the Volkle's family during this incredibly difficult period, and we would ask their privacy be respected. Littoral Combat Ship Squadron (LCSRON) 2 is providing chaplain and mental health support to the ship's crew. Cmdr. Janet Brooms will be assigned as executive officer,” the statement continued according to Daily Mail.

Although Volkle's death is still under investigation, two authorities informed USNI News that preliminary results indicated he died by suicide.

Navy records have stated that Volkle joined the Navy in 2007 and served on the frigate USS Kauffman as well as the destroyers USS John McCain and USS Fitzgerald.

He reported to the USS Marinette in September 2022, and it was commissioned a year later. The later commander is survived by his wife, Kaori Kato Volkle and their two children, Bruno and Nino, along with his parents, Skip and Louise Volkle.

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A memorial service was held for Volkle in Peeples, Florida on Saturday, November 11.

Sudden surge in military-wide suicide

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Volkle's tragic death comes as the Marine Corps, Navy, and the military as a whole continue to grapple with soaring suicide rates and mental health issues among its personnel.

In 2022, the Marine Corps suicide rate soared to 34.9 deaths per 100,000 Marines, which is the worst rate for the crops since 2011, when the rate was 15.4.

Meanwhile, the Navy's suicide rate was 20.6 deaths per 100,000 sailors, which is the highest since 22.1 deaths per 100,000 sailors in 2019.

Moreover, in 2022, the military overall saw a rate of 25.1 deaths per 100,000 service members. This was after a rate of 24.3 in 2021. However, the number was still lesser than that of 2020, when the rate was 28.6.

The Defense Suicide Prevention Office's director Liz Clark, stated that the difference between the 2022 and 2021 rate was not statistically significant, suggesting that it may have been the result of chance.

The decrease from 2020 to 2022 could be due to the Army, which saw a decrease in the suicide rate from 36.2 deaths per 100,000 soldiers in 2020 to 28.9 in 2022.

383 military soldiers died by suicide in 2020, while over 4,800 soldiers have committed suicide since 2015, according to USNI News.

What measures military is taking to stop the surging suicide rate?

Over the years, the Department of Defense has implemented several initiatives to lower suicide rates, including the recruitment of more than 400 individuals into a specialist workforce dedicated to suicide prevention, in addition to other areas such as domestic violence.

Additionally, the DoD upped its emphasis on deadly means of safety, urging military members to lock away their firearms. Firearms continue to be the most lethal method of suicide for the services.

However, it’s unclear how effective the DoD’s efforts have been, as the numbers continue to slightly move upward since 2011.

Based on the findings from the Secretary of Defense's special committee on suicide, the DoD published its suicide recommendations in September, outlining how it intends to approach the problem moving ahead.

The majority of the suggestions' listed actions require considerable funding. Beth Foster, executive director of the Office of Force Resiliency stated that until the president releases his next budget, the DoD is unsure of the amount of funds allocated to these initiatives.

“What I can assure you is this is a SECDEF priority,” Foster said, adding “This is a priority for the deputy secretary of defense and all of the services and so we anticipate a robust investment will be made in this space.”

As part of the secretary’s recommendations, the DoD is looking at how it can work with other agencies to better collect data to see if guns purchased on bases are used in suicides, the director continued.

Carisa Kissane

Update: 2024-05-21

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