At least 11 NSA and US Cyber Command workers died by suicide over last year; Congress seeks answers

At least 11 National Security Agency (NSA) and US Cyber Command workers died by suicide over roughly the past year, according to US officials and public records, a greater number than previously known. Over the 12 months ending in September, 10 people working for the NSA or Cyber Command died by suicide around Fort Meade and one did near an NSA facility in Georgia, an official said.

(NSA)The unusual spate of suicides at agencies that conduct electronic spying and hacking operations on US adversaries has prompted White House and congressional staff to question their leaders behind closed doors, said the officials.

While many factors can lead someone to take their own life, the deaths have caused military commanders to take steps to control long work hours and make more mental health support available to intelligence officers and government hackers whose workload has surged in the past year because of foreign conflicts.

From early June to early July, five people who worked for the NSA or Cyber Command took their own lives, a timeline that led the military to link the deaths as a so-called suicide cluster, people familiar with the matter told Bloomberg News in August.

The most recent suicides came after that in September, when a 21-year-old Army soldier and a 59-year-old civilian working for the NSA took their own lives, according to death records and an official familiar with their employment.

Like others, the official spoke on condition that they not be identified because they aren’t authorized to discuss the matter. Also Read | Three Democrat lawmakers blame police escort ‘blocking Capitol’ for missing Pete Hegseth impeachment vote The deaths continued even as lawmakers and military leaders have tried to help with the distinctive mental health difficulties of staff at the intelligence agency and military cyberwarfare unit.

They are both headquartered at Fort Meade, Maryland. “The pace of operations right now at both NSA and Cyber Command can be overwhelming,” said Harry Coker Jr., a former senior executive at the NSA and Central Intelligence Agency.

“There is a lot of stress that a lot of us overlook because we think cyber is away from the front, and physically that’s accurate but intellectually and emotionally it’s inaccurate.” A Pentagon spokesperson didn’t provide the number of suicides at Cyber Command and the NSA in past years, saying the military publishes suicide statistics by service, such as Army or Navy, not command or agency.

In 2024, the military recorded more than 23 suicides per 100,000 service members—nearly twice the rate for the US population, according to a Pentagon report. The report counted four suicides in “cyberspace operations” and 14 in “signal intelligence/electronic warfare.” It’s unclear how those categories map onto NSA and Cyber Command personnel.

Over the 12 months ending in September, 10 people working for the NSA or Cyber Command died by suicide around Fort Meade and one did near an NSA facility in Georgia, an official said. The people who took their own lives during this period — the government fiscal year — included military personnel, civilians and contractors, said the official.

The tally of suicides at the two agencies, which includes the five in June and July, hasn’t been previously reported. “US Cyber Command and the National Security Agency remain committed to the health, safety, and well-being of our personnel,” spokespersons for the agencies said in an emailed statement.

“Together, the command and agency take a comprehensive, integrated approach to suicide prevention in close coordination with the” various armed services. “The loss of any member of the military community is a tragedy, and our deepest sympathies are with their loved ones,” a Pentagon spokesperson said in an emailed statement.

Following the deaths in June and July, congressional committees overseeing the military and intelligence agencies requested and received briefings from Cyber Command and NSA leaders on the suicides and workforce mental healthcare challenges, officials said.

Tim Kosiba, the NSA’s deputy director, went to the White House in August to brief staff there, one official said. Another said a White House representative also reached out to offer condolences and support to Cyber Command leaders.

“President Trump cares deeply about supporting our brave men and women who serve our country,” said White House spokesperson Olivia Wales, adding that the president “is committed to ensuring” that all military personnel and veterans “receive the support and care they need.” Some of the deaths are still being examined by local law enforcement and investigators from the different armed services.

In briefings, NSA and Cyber Command leaders said that the evidence so far suggests that people had distinctive and complex reasons for taking their own lives, including some who were motivated by personal and financial problems, officials said.

The soldier who took her own life in September enlisted in the Army in 2024 after graduating from a Minnesota high school, according to military records and an obituary. She went on to become a signals intelligence analyst at Fort Meade and was awarded a medal, according to the obituary.

She is described as having been an adventurous young woman, with an infectious smile and unmistakable laugh, who loved reading and Nordic skiing. As with some other people who died by suicide, Bloomberg News isn’t naming the soldier because a member of her family said they don’t want to speak publicly about her death.

Suicide is rarely caused by one thing, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.