From the 30,000-foot level here, for the 4-year period I just described, Air Force deployments have not come down.

What brings us here is the spike in suicides.

I think it's a cumulative effect of deployments that run from 12 months to 15 months.

What are the opportunities and the parameters of such discussions from both DOD and SAMSHA perspectives?

I am concerned that DOD does not appear to get feedback from the National Suicide Hotline about calls to that hotline by military members.

the number of suicides by members of the Reserves is significantly less than for the Active component.

Overall, my goal in the next 6 months is due diligence and regimented enforcement of all institutional processes that exist to take care of soldiers with an ultimate goal being significant reduction in the number of suicides.

We all share your view that the current numbers of suicides in the Army are unacceptable.

That's the point. I mean that is an astonishing number, to me, if you had 780 contacts last year.

This is one subcommittee, I think, that has really gotten the spirit of what we're all about here and tried to be as nonpartisan as possible.

The Army's suicide prevention strategy does not rely on increasing dwell time as part of our approach to reducing suicides.

I hope that this hearing will lead us to a better understanding of the factors that military organizations and families can positively influence.

I look forward to learning about what you're trying to do to control this problem, and I appreciate the hearing.

how much money was allocated by component in fiscal year 2008, and fiscal year 2009 to attract and retain mental health professionals both in uniform and as civilian?

Major General Rubenstein, how do you track whether or not a soldier attains that care?

What additional metrics regarding attempted suicides are needed in order to tailor specific suicide prevention strategies to populations at risk in DOD?

I believe that the military has made progress on many fronts in confronting the issue of stigma.

Brigadier General Sutton and Ms. Power, do military leaders routinely receive data on suicide attempts? If not, should they?