The Missing Mission: Mental Readiness in U.S. Defense

An Open Letter to the White House: Cognitive Defense and Force Mental Readiness Is America’s Unfinished National Security Mission

It’s known as the “astronaut lie” or “lie to fly” strategy: Members of the military hide mental health issues out of fear of being removed from missions or ostracized from their unit. 

It can lead to isolation, despair, or worse, suicide. The data is sobering. One of the most potent, cumulative reports comes from the 2021 Costs of War Project at Brown University, which found an estimated 30,177 suicide deaths since 9/11 among active duty personnel and veterans, far outpacing the 7,057 killed in action during the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, a ratio of more than four to one. But even that staggering number doesn’t capture the full scope of the crisis. Between 2017 and 2022, more than 15,000 active duty service members, including Reservists and National Guard on active duty, experienced drug overdoses. From 2017 to 2021 alone, there were 332 fatal overdoses. Taken together, suicide deaths and overdose incidents since 9/11 illustrate a mental health crisis impacting nearly 50,000 members of the military community.

Behind every suicide, overdose, or burnout is a service member who spent years preparing to serve at the highest level. Nuclear operators who trained for years to safely run reactors at sea. Pilots who dedicated years to mastering flight and command. Their knowledge forms the backbone of our military. We lose hard-earned expertise that cannot be rebuilt overnight–and without that core, we weaken the very foundation needed to train and lead any future force in a large-scale conflict.

Treatment-first models fail to reach those at risk before cognitive distress becomes debilitating. Even when service members actively seek out care, the average wait time for an urgent appointment is upwards of several weeks, an unacceptably long delay in the grip of a psychological crisis.

Building mental health readiness

Recent cuts to military resilience programs have rightly sparked concern, but with a closer look, they’re actually an opportunity. Much of what’s been removed are outdated and ineffective programs that use legacy, computer-based programs that usually rely on very little engagement from military members and were described in the 2023 SPRIRC Report as “check-the-box” training. These cuts are an opportunity to rebuild our military’s cognitive defense and mental health programs.

The next chapter in mental health training for the military must be taught to and completed by service members before clinical distress has the chance to manifest itself as suicidal ideation, depression, or anxiety. The trainings cannot be optional, must offer privacy, and be built around the real-life stressors that service members and their families face. Training must account for the role that military families play in the life of the service member. Mental readiness training must extend beyond the individual to include the family unit or support system, recognizing the role they play in sustaining and retaining a mission-ready force. 

Better data for measuring outcomes

The military’s current evaluation system for mental health programs relies on narrow, short-term metrics, such as recent changes in suicide rates, to determine effectiveness. But suicide rates are a lagging indicator and an unreliable performance metric. Basing success on such limited data is dangerously misleading. We need new, evidence-based metrics for mental health program success, including:

The current Institutional Review Board (IRB) and Office of Management and Budget (OMB) processes make meaningful data collection from non-clinical programs nearly impossible. These information silos prevent the accurate evaluation of what is working for our service members and what programs are continuing to solely check the box. We must reform these systems to enable mission-critical accountability and readiness across military branches.

Mental strength and resilience are critical to national defense

Military service is one of the most demanding experiences, both physically and psychologically. Our country's crisis lies in the lack of cognitive warfare defense on the individual level. We need to protect the minds of modern warfighters to save the lives of those who protect us. 

As we sunset obsolete trainings, we must rise to the challenge of building resilience and mental strength through prevention-first solutions that treat mental health not just as buzzwords, but as battlefield imperatives for those fighting on the front lines. 

CDR Matthew Brown, a U.S. Navy Reserve Commander and former Captain of USS SCOUT, served with SEAL Team 17 and is currently a Bochnowski Family Veteran Fellow at Stanford University’s Hoover Institution. His experience in high-pressure environments led him to found Chimney Trail, which provides accessible, prevention-focused Cognitive Behavioral training (CBt). Matt draws on insights from experts at leading institutions like Johns Hopkins and Stanford to equip teams with tools to think better and thrive under pressure.