USA · updated 2h ago · 3 min read
Acting Navy Secretary Hung Cao Says Eight Suicide Attempts Hit USS Abraham Lincoln Strike Group
Eight sailors on the USS Lincoln strike group attempted suicide during its Middle East deployment. At least two attempts involved jumping overboard.
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Eight attempts, no suicides
Acting Navy Secretary Hung Cao told Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand that there were eight suicide attempts across the USS Abraham Lincoln carrier strike group during its deployment tied to the war in Iran, and Cao said, "During this deployment there were no suicides on board."
Cao’s letter said the eight attempts included "the LINCOLN crew and Sailors from the carrier air wing, strike group and destroyer squadron staff" and that the deployment began around 10 months ago.
The Navy said the carrier group was almost continuously at sea for more than 260 days, and Cao’s letter described the group as about 6,000 service members affected by the eight attempts.
The Navy also described mental health resources on the deployment, including a psychologist, a clinical social worker, a counselor, three mental health professionals, and a therapy dog, while Cao said there was sufficient food.
NBC News reported that the number of sailors who jumped overboard while the Lincoln was in the Middle East remained at two, and the report said no deaths were attributed to suicide during the deployment.
Gillibrand challenges dismissals
Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand criticized the Trump administration’s response to reports about the USS Lincoln, and she said, "What Trump and Secretary Hegseth dismissed as 'fake news' turned out to be serious and deteriorating conditions for our service members."
The BBC reported that Cao’s letter said the eight sailors included "the Lincoln crew and sailors from the carrier airwing, strike group and destroyer squadron staff" and that the Navy denied a mental health crisis was taking place.
The Hill reported that Cao wrote to Gillibrand that the service branch "shares your deep commitment" to the safety, health and morale of U.S. service members.
The Guardian reported that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth told reporters in August, "We make sure that every ship, every crew, every captain has everything we can provide them at every single moment," while the same article quoted Gillibrand’s statement calling the dismissal "completely unacceptable."
PBS reported that Dr. Harold Kudler said, "But something happened to get those families upset," and Kudler added that the situation "reverberated through the military and reverberated across the country."
Deployment strain and oversight
The Navy described the deployment as record-setting at sea, and PBS reported that the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier strike group spent a record-setting uninterrupted time at sea supporting the Iran war. Cao’s letter said the Lincoln had between 2,500 and 2,800 sailors aboard, and the ship docked in Thailand with a record 286 days at sea. Cao said the Lincoln deployed with five chaplains, one embedded integrated prevention counselor, one psychologist, one clinical social worker, three behavioral health technicians, and one expeditionary facility dog.
Cao said the number of main entree options served during regular meal hours on the Lincoln was reduced from two to one for a "short time," and the acting Navy secretary wrote that the change was implemented to ensure "optimized endurance" and "ensure sustained time on station." Cao wrote a congressional delegation was in "planning stages" to embark the Lincoln for oversight once the aircraft carrier returns to the U.S., and the same report said Cao confirmed a sailor went overboard in early August and was "quickly recovered."