Pentagon concerned: drug overdose deaths on the rise in the U.S. army

A new law enacted at the end of 2023 in the United States brings significant changes to the Defense Department's practice of collecting data on drug overdoses in the ranks of the military. These innovations come amid a growing number of overdose deaths from opioids, including fentanyl, in both the military and the nation as a whole.

The Pentagon found that among military personnel, the number of fentanyl-related deaths doubled between 2017 and 2021 at the same time as deaths from the drug increased nationwide as it became available in the country. In five years, 15,000 service members suffered drug overdoses and more than 330 military personnel died from the cause.