Eight USS Abraham Lincoln sailors attempted suicide during deployment, Navy says

September 24, 2026 at 05:04 AM2 min

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Acting Navy Secretary Hung Cao told Senator Kirsten Gillibrand that eight sailors assigned to the USS Abraham Lincoln carrier strike group attempted suicide during the deployment. The disclosure came in a letter responding to concerns about crew well-being after family members reported deteriorating mental health and grim conditions. The carrier is now returning to the US after a prolonged Middle East mission.

Key Facts

Acting Navy Secretary Hung Cao disclosed the eight suicide attempts in a letter to Senator Kirsten Gillibrand on Tuesday.
The USS Abraham Lincoln deployed from California in November and was sent to the Middle East ahead of attacks on Iran in February.
The carrier had about 5,000 crew aboard, and its deployment was repeatedly extended beyond the original May end date.
Cao acknowledged temporary localized piping failures, problems with reverse osmosis desalination units, and reduced meal options for a short time.
Senator Gillibrand criticized the Trump administration's previous responses, calling the treatment of service members completely unacceptable.

Navy Disclosure

Acting Navy Secretary Hung Cao wrote to Senator Kirsten Gillibrand of New York on Tuesday in response to her questions about sailor well-being. Cao said the eight sailors included crew from the Lincoln, the carrier airwing, strike group and destroyer squadron staff, escorting destroyers, and embarked aviation squadrons. He stated that five chaplains and multiple mental health professionals were available on board to meet the spiritual and emotional needs of the crew. The Navy has previously acknowledged supply challenges on the carrier but denied a mental health crisis.

Deployment Conditions

Family members of sailors raised alarm about deteriorating mental health and grim conditions during the prolonged Middle East mission. Cao denied widespread concerns about broken plumbing and shortages of fresh food, but acknowledged temporary localized piping failures and problems with the reverse osmosis desalination units. Some meal options were reduced for a short time, according to the letter. The carrier left California in November for the South China Sea and was sent to the Middle East ahead of attacks on Iran in February. The deployment, originally set to end in May, was repeatedly extended, and in August the USS George Washington was sent to replace the Lincoln after a nine-month deployment.

Political Reaction

Senator Gillibrand, a member of the Senate armed services committee, criticized the Trump administration's previous responses to reports of grim conditions. She said in a statement to the BBC on Wednesday that what Trump and Secretary Hegseth dismissed as fake news turned out to be serious and deteriorating conditions for service members. Gillibrand added that troops and their families make immense sacrifices every single day, yet the president dismissed them with open disrespect. Suicide remains a leading cause of death in the US Navy and Marines, according to an analysis of military data by USNI News.