FORT BLISS, Texas -- The secretary of the Army, John McHugh, came to post on Tuesday to see the construction and growth, and discuss military families, but he also hit hard subjects like troop morale, suicide and mental health.

"We've got a ways to go," he said about mental health.

McHugh said for mental health, Fort Bliss is a good example of strides the Army is making.

"They're trying to do the best they can, they just did hire a child psychologist which is a very unique professional field and one that I know will serve this community," he said.

"The suicide numbers are extremely troubling," McHugh told the media.

But he added, the Army is doing everything it can to lower suicide rates.

"We've made a commitment for soldiers that we're going to do everything within our power to get a 2-to-1 ratio, for every year deployed, a minimum of two years back at home station," said McHugh.

"These are tough and challenging times as all of you know with respect to our ongoing theaters in Iraq and Afghanistan," he said in regards to troop morale.

He has a solution to troop morale problems, particularly with the war in Afghanistan, where new numbers show morale has fallen.

"We've got to make sure that they understand the American people and the American policy makers stand behind that mission," said the secretary.

McHugh was on post from 10 a.m. until 5 p.m., before traveling to Fort Carson in Colorado.