Women in the Army Are More Likely to Be Killed by Fellow Soldiers Than Enemy Combatants

The Intercept | Daniel Johnson, Austin Campbell

Active-duty Army women are more likely to be killed by fellow service members than enemy combatants, according to a first-of-its-kind analysis by The Intercept. From 2011 to August 2025, at least 41 women died by homicide in the Army, over half by other service members or veterans, indicating a higher per capita homicide risk for Army women than male soldiers, contrary to national trends.

Over 70% of these homicides involved intimate partners, with a rate three times the national average. Suicide is the leading cause of death for Army women, with 128 suicides in the same period, and both homicide and suicide rates for Army women doubled national equivalents from 2011-2024. The investigation attributes this to a hypermasculine military culture, prevalent sexual assault (nearly 1 in 4 women service members from 2001-2023), and institutional failures. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has concurrently rolled back protections, eliminating the Defense Advisory Committee on Women in the Services and introducing disciplinary measures for "false or frivolous" complaints, while critical gender-separated data remains publicly unavailable.

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