‘Suicide cluster’ hits US military hackers – Bloomberg

Cyber Command personnel reportedly face increasing workplace stress amid the Iran war and AI competition US Cyber Command is scrutinizing an unusually high number of deaths by suicide among personnel over a month-long period this summer, Bloomberg has reported.As many as five people who worked in or closely interacted with the command took their own lives between early June and early July, the outlet wrote on Thursday, citing internal military communications, public records, and interviews with people familiar with the matter.The succession of deaths reportedly led Cyber Command to classify the incidents as a so-called “suicide cluster,” a Pentagon term for suicides occurring closer together than normal that require specific intervention.Cyber Command operators are tasked with protecting US military networks while hacking into foreign military computer systems to disrupt communications, air defenses, and other battlefield capabilities. Much of their work takes place in highly secure facilities and remains classified. The psychological toll of the job has long concerned military officials. An Army-funded study cited by Bloomberg found cyber operators commonly experienced insomnia, m...