NEW YORK - Responding to preliminary data released today by the Department of Defense (DoD) revealing a record-high suicide rate in the Army, Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA), the nation's first and largest nonpartisan group for Iraq and Afghanistan veterans, introduced a comprehensive report on the psychological injuries faced by our newest generation of veterans.

"The suicide numbers released today come as no surprise to veterans, who have experienced first-hand the psychological toll of war. Since the Iraq war began, suicide rates and other signs of psychological injury, like marital strain and substance abuse, have been increasing every year," said IAVA Executive Director Paul Rieckhoff. "The DOD and the VA must take bold and immediate action. Our new report recommends tangible, effective policies to help troops and veterans get the care they need."

According to preliminary military data released by the Associated Press, at least 128 Army soldiers committed suicide in 2008, compared to 115 in 2007. These numbers do not include suicides among veterans, for whom suicide is a growing problem. According to the VA records from 2002 to 2006, at least 254 Iraq and Afghanistan-era veterans have killed themselves.

The new IAVA report shows these numbers are reflective of larger trends. Servicemembers deploying on long and repeated combat tours face higher rates of combat stress. In combat and at home, these invisible injuries are exacerbated by inadequate mental health screening and limited access to counseling.

Just this week, IAVA also introduced its' 2009 Legislative Agenda, which calls for improving mandatory mental health and TBI screening, increasing access to trained mental health professionals, and ensuring military families have access to mental health care.

"The new numbers represent the highest Army suicide rate in 27 years," said IAVA Policy Director Vanessa Williamson. "If we're going to address the spike in suicide rates, we have to start by ensuring every servicemember coming home from Iraq and Afghanistan gets face-to-face screening from a mental health professional."

To read the full report, "Invisible Wounds: Psychological and Neurological Injuries Confront a New Generation of Veterans," visit: www.iava.org/mentalhealthreport.

WASHINGTON—Army Secretary Pete Geren has ordered the recall of more than 16,000 sets of body armor following an audit that concluded the bullet-blocking plates in the vests failed testing and may not provide soldiers with adequate protection.

The audit by the office of the Defense Department inspector general, not yet made public but obtained by The Associated Press, faults the Army for flawed testing procedures before awarding a contract for the armor.

In a letter date Jan. 27 to Acting Inspector General Gordon Heddell, Geren said he did not agree that the plates failed the testing or that soldiers were issued deficient gear. He said his opinion was backed by the Pentagon's top testing director.

Despite his insistence that the armor was not deficient, Geren said he was recalling the sets as a precaution.

Geren also said he's asked for a senior Pentagon official to resolve the disagreement between the Army and the inspector general's office.

"To ensure there can be no question regarding the effectiveness of every soldier's body armor, I have today ordered that the plates at issue be identified and collected until such a time as the matter has been adjudicated by the deputy secretary of defense," he wrote.

Hundreds of thousands of body armor sets have been manufactured by nearly a dozen different companies over the past seven years. The vests are now standard gear for troops in Iraq and Afghanistan.

The audit by the inspector general's office was the second requested by Rep. Louise Slaughter, D-N.Y. She first asked the watchdog agency to look into the acquisition of the ballistic vests in 2006 after she read newspaper reports saying inadequate body armor was causing U.S. casualties.

The first audit was completed last year, but Slaughter said it wasn't thorough enough.

Slaughter said Wednesday she's satisfied with the latest report but remains concerned the Army has not changed its contracting methods to ensure the troops are getting the best gear.

"I'm not through," she said. "I really want to know which contracts are bad."