8 US Navy Personnel Attempt Suicide During Extended Deployment

The United States Navy has disclosed that eight service members assigned to the USS Abraham Lincoln carrier strike group attempted suicide during its prolonged deployment, with no deaths recorded from the incidents.

According to NBC News, acting US Navy Secretary Hung Cao revealed the figure in a letter to Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, following questions about the welfare and mental health of personnel serving with the strike group.

“Since the beginning of Lincoln’s deployment, there have been a total of eight suicide attempts across the strike group,” Cao wrote.

The figure covers personnel attached to the Lincoln’s crew, carrier air wing, strike group and destroyer squadron staffs, escorting destroyers, as well as embarked aviation squadrons.

About 7,500 service members, predominantly sailors, are part of the carrier strike group.

Cao disclosed that two of the eight incidents involved sailors attempting to go overboard while the Lincoln was operating in the Middle East during US military operations involving Iran.

One sailor went overboard in August and was rescued by a search-and-rescue helicopter, while another attempted to go overboard in March but was stopped by fellow sailors.

The Navy did not disclose details of the remaining six suicide attempts.

The disclosure comes amid growing scrutiny of the unusually long deployment of the USS Abraham Lincoln and concerns from relatives and lawmakers over conditions aboard the carrier, including food supplies and access to mental health services.

The carrier spent 286 consecutive days without a port call while supporting US military operations in the Middle East.

Its deployment began in November and was initially scheduled to end in May but was extended following the outbreak of war with Iran in February.

The Lincoln eventually made a port call in Thailand in early September before continuing its journey back to San Diego.

Gillibrand had previously raised concerns about conditions and medical resources aboard the carrier, describing the situation as “serious and deteriorating.”

The Navy, however, has disputed some reports concerning deteriorating conditions and maintained that sailors have access to medical and mental health support.

The service said the Lincoln has five chaplains, a clinical psychologist, a clinical social worker, behavioural health technicians and an integrated prevention coordination counsellor available to support personnel.

The disclosure of the eight suicide attempts comes after earlier reports raised concerns about the mental health of sailors serving aboard the carrier during its extended deployment.