NAVY CONFIRMS 8 SUICIDE ATTEMPTS IN STRIKE GROUP

PHOTO CAPTION: U.S. Sailors conduct flight operations aboard USS Abraham Lincoln in the Gulf of Thailand on Sept. 8, 2026. The photo was taken during the carrier's extended 2025 to 2026 deployment and does not depict any of the incidents described in this story. U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Daniel Kimmelman.

The Navy has confirmed there were eight suicide attempts across the USS Abraham Lincoln carrier strike group during its extended deployment, a newly disclosed figure that follows months of concern about the strain facing sailors during one of the longest stretches at sea in modern carrier operations.

Acting Navy Secretary Hung Cao disclosed the number in written responses sent Tuesday to Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, who had asked the Navy about morale, mental health and living conditions aboard the Lincoln.

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

The figure does not mean eight attempts occurred aboard the aircraft carrier itself.

Cao said the total includes personnel from the Lincoln crew, the carrier air wing, carrier strike group and destroyer squadron staffs, escorting destroyers and embarked aviation squadrons.

Cao also said there were no suicides aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln during the deployment.

A defense official told CBS News that two of the eight suicide attempts occurred while the strike group was actively fighting during the war with Iran.

The deployment began in November 2025 and eventually included an exceptionally long uninterrupted period at sea. When the Lincoln reached Thailand in early September, the ship had been deployed for 286 days and had spent 264 consecutive days at sea without a port call, according to the Associated Press.

The carrier spent much of that period in the Middle East supporting combat operations against Iran.

Cao’s response also provided new details about two incidents involving sailors attempting to go overboard.

According to Cao, a sailor assigned to the carrier air wing went overboard from the Lincoln in early August. The sailor was quickly recovered, treated by the ship’s medical department and later transferred off the ship for additional care.

In another incident in March, a sailor attempted to go overboard but was stopped by shipmates. Cao said that sailor received immediate medical care and was later returned to homeport.

Reports about conditions aboard the Lincoln had already drawn attention before the new suicide attempt total was disclosed. During the deployment, news organizations reported concerns involving food supplies, plumbing problems, access to basic supplies and sailor morale.

The Navy and Pentagon previously pushed back against some reporting about deteriorating conditions and said personnel aboard the ship had access to mental health resources.

According to Cao’s response, the Lincoln deployed with five chaplains, one psychologist, one clinical social worker, three behavioral health technicians, one embedded integrated prevention counselor and an expeditionary facility dog.

The eight attempts also carry some statistical context.

CNN reported that the rate across the Lincoln strike group was roughly consistent with the suicide attempt rate across the entire active duty Navy in 2024, when the Navy recorded 356 attempts among approximately 337,000 active duty sailors.

However, an unnamed military official told CNN that eight attempts was unusually high compared with recent carrier strike group deployments, which the official said typically recorded one or two attempts per year.

The newly released figure does not establish what caused each individual suicide attempt. The eight incidents occurred across several ships and commands during a deployment that included extended time at sea and combat operations.

What is now confirmed is that eight suicide attempts occurred across the Abraham Lincoln carrier strike group between the beginning of the deployment and Cao’s response to Congress.

The Lincoln has since left the Middle East and began making its way toward its home port in San Diego after being relieved in the region by the USS George Washington.

If you or someone you know is experiencing a suicidal crisis in the United States, call or text 988 for the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline.

Important factual caveats

The biggest one: keep saying “across the strike group.” Do not turn this into “eight suicide attempts aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln.” Cao explicitly says the number covers Lincoln personnel plus the air wing, staffs, escorting ships and embarked squadrons.

Also, “eight suicide attempts” does not necessarily prove eight separate individuals unless the Navy specifically confirms that. I would use the number of attempts rather than “eight sailors” in our own copy.

Cao's exact statement was that there were no suicides aboard the Lincoln during the deployment. I kept that narrow rather than claiming there were no suicide deaths anywhere in the entire strike group.

The Iran detail comes from a defense official speaking to CBS, not Cao's letter. CBS reported that two attempts occurred during active fighting with Iran.

The deployment figures are solid: AP reported 286 days deployed and 264 consecutive days at sea before the Thailand port visit.

There is also an important statistical nuance. CNN reported that the overall attempt rate was roughly consistent with the Navy wide 2024 rate, while an unnamed military official told CNN that eight was unusually high compared with recent carrier strike group deployments. I included both rather than presenting one comparison as definitive.

(Source: OAF Nation)