WASHINGTON (NNS) -- Appearing before the Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC) June 22 in Washington, D.C., vice chief of naval operations (VCNO) discussed the Navy's ongoing efforts in preventing suicides and treating the invisible wounds of war - post traumatic stress (PTS) and traumatic brain injury (TBI).

"Each suicide is a tragic loss that can destroy families, devastate a community and impact unit cohesiveness and morale," said VCNO Adm. Jonathan W. Greenert, in his opening statement. "While the contributing factors of suicide are unique to each person, a common thread is a personal, perceived inability to cope with stress. Our focus of effort is to better understand the stressors that Sailors and their families face and equip them with positive methods to cope with stress."

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Prepared statement

PEARL HARBOR (NNS) - The biennial Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) exercise officially kicked off June 23 as 14 nations, 32 ships, five submarines, more than 170 aircraft, and 20,000 personnel arrived in Hawaii.

By June 28, Commander, U.S. Pacific Fleet (PACFLT) will be hosting units and personnel from Australia, Canada, Chile, Colombia, France, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Netherlands, Peru, Republic of Korea, Singapore, Thailand and the United States.

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