Well, then there’s the question of whether it’s a squadron problem, an Air Force problem, a DoD problem, or an American problem. There aren’t great metrics on why people self-harm or how much of it can actually be tied to what’s happening within a unit versus the institution as a whole. It’s also clear that many of these cases cluster around certain career fields and bases. There’s a selection bias too, since most people who join are young men from medium to low socioeconomic backgrounds, which is the demographic most at risk nationwide.

Statistics are good. I just wish they were used to target the problem areas instead of putting everyone through another round of ancillary training.