Eight U.S. Navy personnel attached to the USS Abraham Lincoln carrier strike group have attempted suicide since the start of their extended deployment, according to a letter obtained by ABC News from Acting Navy Secretary Hung Cao. The deployment, initially intended for the Pacific, was extended and redirected to support operations related to the war in Iran, now nearing its eighth month.
In the letter sent to Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, Cao stated that the eight suicide attempts occurred over the approximately 10 months the USS Lincoln has been deployed. The incidents involved sailors from the Lincoln crew, the carrier air wing, strike group staff, escorting destroyers, and embarked aviation squadrons. The ship carried between 2,500 and 2,800 sailors during this period.
A Navy official told ABC News that while each suicide attempt is treated with seriousness, the number is not considered outside the norm for an extended deployment of this length. The Navy recorded 356 suicide attempts across the broader Navy ranks in 2024, a figure representing a nearly 50% increase over three years, according to Navy records.
Former warship commander Capt. John Cordle (Ret.) noted that long, open-ended deployments without opportunities for port calls can significantly impact sailors' mental well-being. Ships operating in the Middle East traditionally made port calls at the Naval station in Bahrain, which provided a psychological benefit. However, these facilities have come under attack from Iran, making such stops impossible.
Cao confirmed in his letter that the USS Lincoln experienced a piping issue and that meal options were reduced to one during periods of high-tempo operations, though both issues have since been resolved. Earlier in the deployment, a sailor went overboard from the Lincoln in early August but was recovered. President Donald Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth have previously dismissed reports of poor conditions and mental health struggles aboard the USS Lincoln, with Hegseth characterizing accounts of sailors struggling through the deployment as "completely misrepresented."
Admiral Brad Cooper, commander of U.S. Central Command, stated in an August social media post that the Lincoln had among the lowest number of mental health cases among the Navy's active aircraft carriers. He acknowledged that long deployments at sea are "uniquely challenging and tough" and that individuals react to stressors differently.
Senator Gillibrand criticized the administration's handling of the situation, stating that concerns dismissed by Trump and Hegseth "turned out to be serious and deteriorating conditions for our service members" and called the treatment of service members under the current administration "completely unacceptable."
The USS Lincoln strike group has since been replaced in the Middle East by the USS George Washington and is en route to its home port in California. The ship docked in Thailand earlier this month, marking a record 286 days at sea. The deployment was extended due to the war with Iran, which began in late February and has involved approximately 50,000 American service members.
If you are struggling with thoughts of suicide or worried about a friend or loved one, call or text the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline at 988 for free, confidential emotional support 24 hours a day, seven days a week.