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A meta-analysis of 25 epidemiological studies estimated the prevalence of recent Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders-IV (DSM-IV) major depression (MD) among U.S. military personnel. Best estimates of recent prevalence (standard error) were 12.0% (1.2) among currently deployed, 13.1% (1.8) among previously deployed, and 5.7% (1.2) among never deployed. Consistent correlates of prevalence were being female, enlisted, young (ages 17–25), unmarried, and having less than a college education. Simulation of data from a national general population survey was used to estimate expected lifetime prevalence of MD among respondents with the sociodemographic profile and none of the enlistment exclusions of Army personnel. In this simulated sample, 16.2% (3.1) of respondents had lifetime MD and 69.7% (8.5) of first onsets occurred before expected age of enlistment. Numerous methodological problems limit the results of the meta-analysis and simulation. The article closes with a discussion of recommendations for correcting these problems in future surveillance and operational stress studies. INTRODUCTION Major depression (MD) is generally recognized to be among the most burdensome of all disorders in the U.S. population because of its high prevalence and strong adverse effects on role functioning. As exposure to highly stressful life experiences is one of the most consistently documented risk factors for MD, it is not surprising that exposure to combat has been shown to be a powerful predictor of MD. Indeed, available research suggests that MD might be as common as, or perhaps even more common than, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) among combat veterans. Yet, much more research has been carried out on the prevalence and correlates of PTSD than MD among military personnel. In an effort to synthesize available data on the prevalence of MD and its relationship to deployment experience, we carried out a quantitative literature review and meta-analysis of the recent literature on the epidemiology of MD among U.S. military personnel.Weweremindful in planning this analysis that a recent review found a high range ofMDprevalence estimates in studies of military personnel. The authors of that review cautioned that assessments of MD in the reviewed surveys were typically based on unvalidated screening scales rather than clinical interviews and that many studies used convenience samples rather than probability samples. We consequently limited our review to epidemiological studies that, with a few notable exceptions, used probability sampling methods and validated measures of MD. Despite considerable information in the reviewed studies on current prevalence of MD, little data exist on lifetime prevalence or age-of-onset of MD among military personnel. Such data could be valuable in determining if military personnel with current MD had first onsets before versus only after enlistment. This information could have important implications in areas such as large-scale public health interventions and Physical Evaluation Boards. Even though direct data on lifetime prevalence are absent, simulation methods can be used to make indirect estimates. Messer et al did this to estimate lifetime prevalence of selected mental disorders in the Army from the Epidemiologic Catchment Area (ECA) study, a large community epidemiological survey of mental disorders. We extend the work of Messer et al here by using similar methods to estimate lifetime prevalence and age-of-onset of MD. The data used to carry out this simulation are from the National Comorbidity Survey Replication (NCS-R), a national survey of the prevalence and correlates of DSM-IV mental disorders in the civilian U.S. household population.