The US Navy has disclosed that eight service members assigned to the USS Abraham Lincoln carrier strike group attempted suicide during its extended deployment. This figure includes personnel aboard the aircraft carrier, its air wing and accompanying destroyers. The disclosure came in a letter from Acting Navy Secretary Hung Cao to Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, reported CNN.
Importantly, the figure does not mean eight sailors aboard the aircraft carrier itself. Cao wrote that the total covers the Lincoln crew, carrier air wing, strike-group and destroyer-squadron staff, escorting destroyers and embarked aviation squadrons. No suicide deaths occurred during the deployment, according to the Navy secretary's letter.
Eight suicide attempts during a record-breaking deployment
The Lincoln strike group left San Diego on November 21, 2025, and its deployment was subsequently extended as the US military became involved in combat operations against Iran. Roughly 6,000 to 7,000 Navy personnel were deployed across the strike group, while the carrier itself spent more than eight months at sea before beginning its journey home and is currently in its tenth month at sea.
Cao wrote: “Since the beginning of Lincoln's deployment, there have been a total of eight suicide attempts across the strike group.” He added that the number covered personnel across the wider formation rather than only those serving aboard the carrier.
A defense official told CBS News that two of the attempts occurred during active fighting with Iran. CNN reported that the Navy's latest disclosure comes after earlier reports of sailors going overboard or being stopped from doing so.
Why the deployment has raised mental health concerns
The Lincoln's prolonged mission has been accompanied by reports from sailors and families about exhaustion, limited port calls and difficulties accessing mental-health care. Navy Times reported in August that the carrier had been deployed for more than eight months and that families described sailors as being repeatedly overextended.
The Navy has disputed claims of a broad deterioration in suicidal behavior. In August, officials said: “Based on information available to the command, we have not identified an increase in reported suicidal ideation or suicide attempts aboard the ship.”
The service has also pointed to mental-health resources aboard the carrier. According to Cao's letter, these included five chaplains, one psychologist, one clinical social worker, three behavioral-health technicians and an embedded prevention counselor. The Navy has additionally said it was sending more counselors and social workers to supplement those resources.
Speaking to CNN before the ship was ordered back to San Diego, one crew member described the situation saying, “Everyday we wake up and listen to our captain speak, we are desperately hoping and anxious for updates on our return.”
