Soldiers from the 41st Infantry Regiment stop during a southern border patrol near Ysleta, Texas, April 3, 2025. Since late January, the Pentagon has deployed several thousand troops to the southern border to counter illegal migration and narcotics trafficking. (Michael Graf/U.S. Army)
Fatal and nonfatal drug overdoses among troops dropped by more than 40% over a two-year span, the Defense Department said this week in a new report that found fentanyl-related deaths at a seven-year low.
The findings, part of a mandated report to Congress, also showed that military overdoses were significantly lower than among the general population, the Pentagon said Monday.
Overall active-duty fatal drug overdoses reached an eight-year low in 2023, the most recent year recorded in the study. Fatal overdoses involving fentanyl reached a seven-year low, the Defense Department said.
The Pentagon did not release the full report and all the data associated with it, but rather a summary of the findings that were submitted to Congress.
Still, the findings that were publicly released Monday point to improvement when it comes to curbing overdoses in the ranks.
In a similar report to Congress in 2023, DOD reported that fentanyl was involved in 88% of the deaths of service members who overdosed on illicit drugs in 2021, a steep increase from 36% five years earlier.
Overall active-duty fatal drug overdoses reached an eight-year low in 2023, according to a new Defense Department report. Fatal overdoses involving fentanyl reached a seven-year low. (Graham Snodgrass/Defense Centers for Public Health)
During the 2019-2023 period, the fatal overdose rate for service members averaged about 4.4 out of 100,000 service members. Among the general American population, that number was about 29.2 out of 100,000 people.
“Any drug overdose or drug use remains unacceptable, as the Defense Department and the military services maintain a zero-tolerance policy regarding drug use,” the department said in a statement.
Congress began requiring the Pentagon to report data on overdose deaths in 2022. The mandate came amid broader national concerns about an opioid crisis in the United States.
A flurry of overdoses at Fort Bragg, N.C., that year spotlighted problems with fentanyl abuse in the ranks.
Fentanyl, a synthetic opioid that is 50 to 100 times more potent than morphine, is a particular focus of the DOD report.
“The drug threat is ever-changing, and fentanyl, with its high risk for overdose and addiction, remains a concern both nationally and for the Department of Defense,” the report stated.
Fentanyl, and its movement across the United States’ southern border, has become a focal point for President Donald Trump.
The situation has been a point of contention between the United States and Mexico. In February, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum agreed to deploy 10,000 soldiers to the country’s border to as part of security measures.
Since late January, the Pentagon has deployed several thousand troops to the southern border to counter illegal migration and narcotics trafficking.
