Outdated Integrated Prevention Training puts Service Members at Risk
Military leaders face persistent challenges in suicide prevention training: existing methods like policy reviews, PowerPoints, and lectures often fall short.
Officials note that despite extensive efforts, including risk assessments, small-group discussions, and procedural compliance, the suicide rate has not significantly declined in over a decade. Moreover, conversational readiness skills are inherently difficult to develop through didactic formats alone, and commanders struggle to evaluate real-world competencies without objective data. The chain of command often lacks clear, actionable insights into which units or individuals may be at elevated risk, limiting proactive interventions.
Beyond training format constraints, broader issues compound the challenge: high operational tempo, stigma around mental health, access to lethal means, and entrenched military culture all contribute to underreporting and unrecognized risk. Effective suicide prevention requires more than awareness; it demands measurable behavior change, real-time feedback, and scalable solutions that can embed proficiency across ranks and roles.
Traditional training programs aren’t capturing these nuances or providing leaders with the tools to assess unit-level readiness.
In Air Force pilots, 98% of leadership recommended VR training over traditional methods.
A Modern Platform for Visibility, Assessment, and Hands-On Learning
Moth+Flame rewrote the playbook by combining immersive VR scenarios with comprehensive data analytics to elevate suicide prevention training. Our platform immerses learners in realistic, voice-driven conversations using the DoD’s ACE (Ask, Care, Escort) protocol. Each scenario adapts in real time—responding to decisions and conversational phrasing—while facilitating immediate feedback from prevention trainers and fostering deeper group discussions post-training.
This VR‑enhanced model emphasizes competency over compliance: learners practice until they demonstrate mastery of intervention behaviors, with every action measured and scored. Moth+Flame’s analytics dashboard highlights emerging risk patterns across cohorts—by branch, unit, or rank—enabling commanders to target follow-up training or support where it’s most needed . Rather than relying on anecdotal or retrospective assessments, leaders gain predictive insight into organizational readiness and prevention capability.
Outcomes have been strong and measurable. In Air Force pilots, 98% of leadership recommended VR training over traditional methods, with a one-scenario intervention likelihood increase of 131% compared to traditional training alone. An IRB-approved study with Dr. Thomas Joiner validated that VR increased both engagement and willingness to intervene vs. small-group discussions.
Service members across all branches including special ops have completed more than 10,000 suicide prevention sessions through this platform.
Sources
MacLeish, Kenneth T. Suicide Prevention: Training, Leadership, and Culture Change. Military Review, Online Exclusive, U.S. Army University Press, 2024, https://www.armyupress.army.mil/Journals/Military-Review/Online-Exclusive/2024-OLE/Suicide-Prevention/.
Catalyst.Wellstar.org Cornish, Kevin. “Virtual Visionary: Kevin Cornish on Building Moth + Flame.” Catalyst Wellstar, 29 Jan. 2025, catalyst.wellstar.org/insights/moth-flame-founder-feature/.
TexasStandard.org “Military Uses Training and New Virtual Reality Tool to Prevent Suicides.” Texas Standard, Texas Public Radio, 28 Mar. 2022, texasstandard.org/stories/military-training-suicide-prevention-virtual-reality-tool/.
NovantHealth.org Triggs, Julia, et al. “New Psychiatry Residency Helps Service Members Overcome Mental Health Stigma.” Novant Health Healthy Headlines, 2024, novanthealth.org/healthy-headlines/new-psychiatry-residency-helps-service-members-overcome-mental-health-stigma.
MothAndFlameVR.com “Moth+Flame | Virtual Reality.” Moth+Flame, mothandflamevr.com/.
TheDebrief.org Banias, MJ. “Virtual Reality Training Could Save Us From a Future Labor Crisis.” The Debrief, 23 Apr. 2021, thedebrief.org/virtual-reality-training-could-save-us-from-a-future-labor-crisis/.
Jonson, Matt. “The Air Force Is Using Virtual Reality to Fight Its Suicide Epidemic.” Task & Purpose, 8 May 2021, taskandpurpose.com/news/air-force-virtual-reality-suicide-prevention-training/.
Robinson, Ken. “Agents of Hope: Suicide Prevention Program Encourages All to ‘Connect to Protect.’” Air Force Materiel Command News, U.S. Air Force, 8 Sept. 2022, afmc.af.mil/News/Article-Display/Article/3153499/agents-of-hope-suicide-prevention-program-encourages-all-to-connect-to-protect/.