Eight US Navy personnel assigned to the USS Abraham Lincoln carrier strike group attempted suicide during the group’s prolonged deployment, Acting US Navy Secretary Hung Cao has disclosed.
Cao revealed the figure in a letter sent Tuesday to US Senator Kirsten Gillibrand in response to questions about the mental health and living conditions of sailors serving with the carrier strike group.
The eight attempts involved personnel across the wider strike group, including sailors serving aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln, its carrier air wing, strike group and destroyer squadron staffs, escorting destroyers and embarked aviation squadrons.
Cao said no service member died by suicide during the deployment.
The disclosure comes after months of concerns from sailors’ families and reports of deteriorating morale and mental health during the unusually long deployment.
The USS Abraham Lincoln began its current deployment in November 2025 and spent more than 300 days away from its home port. The carrier and its strike group were deployed to the Middle East and took part in US military operations during the war with Iran.
The carrier remained at sea for an extended period after its deployment, originally expected to end in May, was repeatedly extended. The USS George Washington was later sent to replace the Lincoln in the region.
Cao said the carrier had five chaplains and multiple mental health professionals available to support the crew.
The Navy has also acknowledged some problems during the deployment, including temporary reductions in meal options, delays in replenishing certain supplies and localized piping failures. It has rejected claims of a broader mental health crisis aboard the carrier.
The eight suicide attempts were recorded across the entire carrier strike group rather than solely among the roughly 5,000 personnel aboard the Lincoln.
According to data cited in the reporting, the US Navy recorded 356 suicide attempts among about 337,000 active-duty sailors in 2024. A US military official told CNN that recent carrier strike group deployments had generally recorded one or two suicide attempts per year, while describing the eight attempts during the Lincoln deployment as unusually high.
The Lincoln has now left the Middle East and is making its way back toward the United States after a deployment that lasted roughly nine months and included an extended period of combat operations.
