(a) Program Requirement.—The Secretary of Defense shall establish and carry out a program to provide members of the National Guard and Reserves and their families with training in suicide prevention, resilience, and community healing and response to suicide, including provision of such training at Yellow Ribbon Reintegration Program events and activities authorized under section 582 of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2008 (10 U.S.C. 10101 note).

Terms Used In 10 USC 10219

  • Fiscal year: The fiscal year is the accounting period for the government. For the federal government, this begins on October 1 and ends on September 30. The fiscal year is designated by the calendar year in which it ends; for example, fiscal year 2006 begins on October 1, 2005 and ends on September 30, 2006.
  • individual: shall include every infant member of the species homo sapiens who is born alive at any stage of development. See 1 USC 8
  • State: means a State, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, or any other territory or possession of the United States. See 1 USC 7

(b) Suicide Prevention Training.—Under the program, the Secretary shall provide members of the National Guard and Reserves with training in suicide prevention. Such training may include—

(1) describing the warning signs for suicide and teaching effective strategies for prevention and intervention;

(2) examining the influence of military culture on risk and protective factors for suicide; and

(3) engaging in interactive case scenarios and role plays to practice effective intervention strategies.


(c) Community Response Training.—Under the program, the Secretary shall provide the families and communities of members of the National Guard and Reserves with training in responses to suicide that promote individual and community healing. Such training may include—

(1) enhancing collaboration among community members and local service providers to create an integrated, coordinated community response to suicide;

(2) communicating best practices for preventing suicide, including safe messaging, appropriate memorial services, and media guidelines;

(3) addressing the impact of suicide on the military and the larger community, and the increased risk that can result; and

(4) managing resources to assist key community and military service providers in helping the families, friends, and fellow servicemembers of a suicide victim through the processes of grieving and healing.


(d) Community Training Assistance.—The program shall include the provision of assistance with such training to the local communities of those servicemembers and families, to be provided in coordination with local community programs.

(e) Collaboration.—In carrying out the program, the Secretary shall collect and analyze “lessons learned” and suggestions from State National Guard and Reserve organizations with existing or developing suicide prevention and community response programs.

(f) Outreach for Certain Members of the Reserve Components.—(1) Upon the request of an adjutant general of a State, the Secretary may share with the adjutant general the contact information of members described in paragraph (2) who reside in such State in order for the adjutant general to include such members in suicide prevention efforts conducted under this section.

(2) Members described in this paragraph are—

(A) members of the Individual Ready Reserve; and

(B) members of a reserve component who are individual mobilization augmentees.


(g) Triennial Evaluation.—The Secretary shall evaluate the program every third year beginning in 2022 until the program terminates to determine whether the program effectively—

(1) provides training and assistance under subsections (b), (c), and (d); and

(2) implements subsection (e).

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