Eight U.S. sailors have attempted suicide throughout the USS Abraham Lincoln carrier strike group’s extended deployment to the Middle East, according to acting Navy Secretary Hung Cao.
The aircraft carrier has been at sea for more than 300 days following its November 2025 departure from San Diego. The prolonged time on the water sparked concerns about the sailors’ morale and mental health during a nearly yearlong voyage that overlapped with the first six months of the Iran war.
Cao confirmed those concerns in a new letter sent to Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee. The number of suicide attempts across the strike group was previously unreported until CNN obtained the letter this week.
“Since the beginning of Lincoln’s deployment, there have been a total of eight suicide attempts across the strike group,” Cao wrote. “This number includes the Lincoln crew and sailors from the carrier airwing, strike group and destroyer squadron staff, escorting destroyers and all embarked aviation squadrons.”
No sailors had successfully killed themselves during the 10-month deployment, Cao said. Between 6,000 and 7,000 sailors were deployed as part of the carrier strike group.
The Navy’s active-duty suicide rate was 18.2 per 100,000 sailors in 2024, representing 60 deaths from suicide. That was the last year that the Pentagon has released suicide data.
The acting Navy secretary revealed that one of the eight sailors assigned to the air wing tried going overboard in early August.
“One sailor attempted to go overboard in March and was stopped by his shipmates,” he wrote. “That sailor was also provided immediate medical care and subsequently returned to homeport.”
The Lincoln had five chaplains, one embedded integrated prevention counselor, one psychologist, one clinical social worker, three behavioral health technicians, and one expeditionary facility dog since its deployment last year, according to Cao’s letter.
A Navy official confirmed the letter’s authenticity to the Washington Examiner and stressed that the number of suicide attempts is not much different from what the Navy sees on carriers deployed for combat or noncombat operations.
On Sunday, Cao posted a three-minute video on social media to raise awareness about suicide within the Navy.
“I see messages that active-duty service members have ended their lives by suicide,” he said. “Those numbers are higher in the Marine Corps. We must confront the rising tide of suicide head-on.”
USS ABRAHAM LINCOLN DOCKS IN THAILAND AFTER 286 DAYS AT SEA
The Lincoln departed the Middle East in mid-August to begin traveling back to its home base in San Diego. It recently made stops in Thailand and Guam. The aircraft carrier was replaced by the USS George Washington, which is heading to U.S. military operations near Iran.
The Lincoln’s deployment marks the second longest since the end of the Cold War. The record is held by the USS Gerald R. Ford, which completed its 326-day deployment in May. The Lincoln is around the 305-day mark.
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[ H/T Washington Examiner ]
