Mullen: Veterans Suffering Mental Problems on the Rise

Local Editor

Former chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, Adm. Mike Mullen, has warned against the increasing number of war veterans who are suffering from mental health problems.
Mullen in an interview with NBC's "Meet the Press" on Sunday said "I think our force, because it has been away so much, has not had to deal with those [mental health and other issues] as directly as they may have in the past, and now that we're going to be home more, I think we're going to actually see an increased number of challenges associated with that."
Mullen, who was commenting on a shooting spree by a veteran in Texas last week, said "We all need to wrap our arms around the force to help us deal with those."
During a shooting rampage at a US military base in Texas last Wednesday, Ivan Lopez, a 34-year-old Iraq War veteran, killed three people and injured 26 others before killing himself. According to an initial investigation into the incident, the shooter was a mentally unstable person.

Mullen said security and mental health services should improve and be made more available.

"This really is a national resources issue. ... I think we need to do a lot more to understand the brain and how these [traumatic] injuries affect our young people who have done so much for our country," he said.

He also said that US soldiers should not be allowed to carry weapons on military bases as it would increase attacks there.

His comments come as Rep. Mike McCaul has recently pushed for legislation to allow members of the military to carry concealed weapons on military bases.
Meanwhile, House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) said on Thursday that mentally ill people should not be allowed to buy guns and that there is "no question" about it.
In September, a former Navy man opened fire at the Washington Navy Yard, leaving 13 people dead, including the gunman. After that shooting, War Secretary Chuck Hagel ordered the Pentagon to review security at all US military installations worldwide and examine the granting of security clearances that allow access to them.

Asked Wednesday about security improvements in the wake of other shootings at US military bases, Hagel said, "Obviously when we have these kinds of tragedies on our bases, something's not working."

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