The record number of military suicides seen in recent years may not be directly due to extended deployments or combat experience, according to a new study. This data analysis, funded by the Department of Defense, suggests that the real reason behind the growing number of military suicides is underlying mental health issues in this population.

A recent study on the long-term health effects of thousands of service members found that deployed service members who are exposed to combat have increased risks for smoking, heavy drinking and PTSD symptoms

Among other women’s health provisions in the legislation, the bill requires the Defense Department to gather and report more information on gynecological and perinatal health from Millennium Cohort Study data, focusing on fertility, maternal mortality, pregnancy related conditions, birth defects and developmental disabilities

U.S. troops in Iraq and Afghanistan who go into combat are more likely to develop high blood pressure over the long term than those who serve in supporting roles, a new military study finds.

Combat experience is one of the factors that increases the risk that U.S. soldiers will start smoking, a new study suggests.Researchers analyzed data from a long-term study to assess the long-term health effects of service in the U.S. military. The study began in 2001 and will continue until 2022. The researchers collect survey data every three years.The focus of this study was military personnel who had never smoked or had quit smoking. The researchers wanted to tease out possible factors for either starting or resuming smoking.They found that factors linked to resuming or newly starting a smoking habit included pay grade, service branch, combat deployment, mental health history, stress and individual characteristics.

Deployed military service members who experience certain types of combat events or are exposed to high levels of combat may be at a higher risk of suicide attempt, researchers found in a study published in JAMA Network Open.

Since 2001, the Department of Defense has been conducting a large-scale, long-term study of military personnel and veterans to help close the information gap. The Millennium Cohort Study randomly selected the first of what were eventually about 150,000 participants from all service branches, the National Guard and the reserves, asking them to answer health-related questionnaires once every three years over a span of 21 years.

The "Advance for Respiratory Care & Sleep Medicine" publication covers some cutting edge military medicine research that is currently ongoing. Highlighted in this article is the Millennium Cohort Study's contributions to U.S. military's epidemiological efforts.

VA and DoD are working together and in partnership with various private institutions on studies regarding possible adverse health effects related to exposure to open-air burn pits.

If you’re among the more than 200,000 service members and veterans participating in the long-term health study, researchers are calling on you to fill out a follow-up survey, as they track health risks of deployment, military occupations and general military service.