December 2023 — MHCE Newsletter
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16 | <strong>MHCE</strong> - News www.mhce.us DECEMBER <strong>2023</strong> EDITION<br />
No More Late Night Alcohol Sales: Army and Air Force<br />
Exchange Stores to Ban the Practice Next Month<br />
The change on Army and Air Force bases<br />
is meant to support the Pentagon's suicide<br />
prevention initiative, which said that<br />
limiting when alcohol is available "reduces<br />
heavy drinking and other adverse outcomes<br />
associated with alcohol misuse," including<br />
suicide, according to Defense Department<br />
research and recommendations.<br />
Other initiatives listed in the<br />
recommendations by the suicide prevention<br />
committee, created by Defense Secretary<br />
Lloyd Austin in 2022, included increasing<br />
the price of alcohol sold on Pentagon<br />
property, establishing 24/7 sobriety<br />
programs for service members arrested<br />
or convicted for alcohol-related crimes,<br />
and banning the promotion of alcohol on<br />
military bases.<br />
"Consistent with the Department of<br />
Defense's Suicide Prevention and Response<br />
Independent Review Committee's<br />
recommendations, the Army and Air Force<br />
Exchange Service is aligning the times<br />
alcohol can be sold to be consistent with<br />
that of DoD's other military exchanges,"<br />
Chris Ward, a spokesperson for AAFES.<br />
The latest initiative affects 161 Express,<br />
Class Six and other exchange stores<br />
worldwide, according to Ward, who also