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our soldiers deployed for 12 months, home anywhere from 12 to 16 months, and back for another 12- or 15-month deployment."

Chiarelli, who commissioned the report, said there is not a direct connection between multiple deployments and increased risk of suicide. 60% of suicides are during the soldier's first term of enlistment, he told Amanpour. Even so, he emphasized that the growing strain on military leaders increased risky behavior in some soldiers and made monitoring at-risk soldiers harder.

During this period of increased deployments, Chiarelli said, "we've seen an increase with some soldiers, a very small number of soldiers, of high-risk behavior ... the abuse of alcohol, drugs, getting in trouble with the law."

Leaders of those at-risk soldiers, because of the operational tempo, sometimes overlook signs that the soldiers might need help.

"While our commanders and subordinate leaders are phenomenal warriors, they are unaccustomed to taking care of soldiers in a garrison environment," the report, released on July 29 at the Pentagon, said.

"There are instances where a leader's lack of soldier accountability resulted in suicide victims not being found until they had been dead for three or four weeks," the report said. "In an organization that prides itself on never leaving a soldier behind, this sobering example speaks to the breakdown of leadership in garrison, which appears to be worsening as requirements of prolonged conflict slowly erode the essential attributes that have defined the Army for generations."