Introduction: Despite numerous organized efforts across the Department of War, the rates of suicide and behavioral health issues, have steadily risen among active duty military personnel over the past decade. Thus, it has become apparent that a public health approach is needed to improve military mental health outcomes. Research has shown the importance of considering upstream risk and protective factors for mental health and suicide, including the social contexts in which service members are living and working. These social determinants of health (SDOH) include financial, housing, and food security, healthcare access, degree of social support and connectedness, and exposure to social stressors. The purpose of this study is to develop a brief screening tool capable of identifying pertinent social needs among active duty service members (SM). Materials and Methods: A literature review was first conducted to identify existing validated social needs screening tools including items designed to assess each SDOH domain. Existing tools were examined for length and content, and candidate items were compiled. A Military Advisory Board (MAB) was then formed to provide subject matter expertise. Six individuals with expertise in military mental health, military operations, and social needs reviewed the candidate items to provide feedback on relevance, clarity, and feasibility through one-on-one interviews. MAB members were also asked to provide feedback on domains that may need to be added or removed and suggestions for how best to administer the screening. Feedback was reviewed to identify themes and finalize the screener. Results: Several MAB members suggested the addition of items related to financial and food security, as the existing screening tools would not adequately capture additional sources of income or food accessed by SM. Members also requested that items pertaining to social connectedness and job satisfaction be added to reflect the importance of military cohesion within this population. Conclusions: While existing social needs screeners can provide a strong foundation for research in SM, tailoring is needed to ensure the occupational experiences, terminology, and culture that are unique to the military are appropriately captured. In the next phase of this research, the screener will be administered to determine the most prevalent social needs of SM and their associations with behavioral health outcomes.