Memo from the Secretary of Defense, Lloyd Austin, "Next Steps on Suicide Prevention in the Military," 03/16/2023

Memo reviewed by, Guido Torres, HKS NSF, Manual Ortiz-Senior, HKS MPA/MC, and Shivani Gupta, HKS MPA/ID

The memo titled ‘Next Steps on Suicide Prevention’ serves to address the critical concern of suicides within the Department of Defense. The memo effectively grabs the reader's attention. It emphasizes the importance of the Department's most precious resource - its people. However, the content and writing of the memo could use some work.

The memo's problem statement could be clearer by providing an explicit description of the issue at hand. Instead of saying "we must spare no effort in working to eliminate suicide," the author could have written, "Suicides within the Department of Defense are at an all-time high," providing readers with a clear understanding of the issue. Furthermore, the memo would benefit from additional data and context, such as the size and scale of the problem, and the impact of the measures being authorized to address it.

The memo is persuasive due to its authoritative tone and the urgency of the problem. However, it lacks the power to help us visualize the impact of the problem in numbers. The presentation of the issue could be strengthened by incorporating both qualitative and quantitative data, as well as specific examples, case studies, timelines, and performance indicators to contribute to accountability and progress tracking. The urgency of the problem is evident, but it could be further reinforced by providing more information about the effects of the issue and the expected outcomes of the proposed recommendations.

The writing style and cohesiveness of the memo could be improved by enhancing its readability and skimmability. The memo would be more concise if it included a summary of the recommendations, with an appendix providing additional details. The six tasks of the Suicide Prevention Implementation Working Group would be more accessible if presented as bullet points rather than embedded within a paragraph. Incorporating signposting would also enhance the memo's overall cohesiveness and clarity. The memo's credibility is bolstered by the SPRIRC's findings and recommendations, but incorporating more data and information about the committee's methodology would further enhance it. The memo's persuasive power could be improved by providing quantitative data and a concrete implementation plan to minimize suicides.

It would be beneficial to outline the proposed recommendations earlier in the memo and provide more detail on their implementation. The memo could also provide more information on the Suicide Prevention Implementation Working Group's role in executing these recommendations and how they will be integrated into existing military structures and culture.

This memo demonstrates a commitment to addressing the critical issue of suicides within the Department of Defense. However, improvements could be made in terms of problem statement clarity, context, writing style, organization, and presentation of solutions.