Eight US Navy Sailors Attempted Suicide During USS Abraham Lincoln Deployment, Says Navy Chief

September 25, 2026

Washington: Eight US Navy service members assigned to the USS Abraham Lincoln Carrier Strike Group attempted suicide during its deployment, Acting Navy Secretary Hung Cao has told a senior senator.

Cao disclosed the figure in a September 22 response to Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, a member of the Senate Armed Services and Intelligence committees.

Navy Says Eight Suicide Attempts Reported During Deployment

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

He said the figure includes the USS Abraham Lincoln crew as well as sailors from the carrier air wing, strike group and destroyer squadron staff, escorting destroyers and all embarked aviation squadrons.

Cao’s letter provided details about one of the eight incidents. He said one sailor attempted to go overboard in March but was stopped by shipmates.

“That Sailor was also provided immediate medical care and subsequently returned to homeport,” Cao wrote.

The material released by Gillibrand’s office did not provide details about the other seven attempts, including when they occurred or the condition of the sailors involved.

Disclosure Renews Questions Over Sailors’ Welfare

The disclosure prompted Gillibrand to renew criticism of President Donald Trump and Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth over their response to earlier complaints from sailors and their families about conditions aboard the carrier.

“What Trump and Secretary Hegseth dismissed as ‘fake news’ turned out to be serious and deteriorating conditions for our service members,” Gillibrand said.

She said service members and their families make significant sacrifices and argued that the newly disclosed incidents showed that concerns over sailors’ welfare required serious attention.

Senators Sought Information On Deployment Conditions

Cao’s response followed an August letter from Gillibrand and 14 other senators to Hegseth. The lawmakers had sought greater transparency after reports raised concerns about living and working conditions aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln.

Gillibrand’s earlier letter sought information about the carrier group’s deployment, its expected return and the Navy’s plans to relieve personnel aboard the vessel.

The lawmakers also asked about operational readiness, medical and mental-health resources, living conditions and support for families of deployed sailors.

The USS Abraham Lincoln Carrier Strike Group includes personnel aboard the aircraft carrier, its embarked air wing, escorting destroyers and headquarters staff supporting the deployment.

Carrier deployments require thousands of sailors to work for extended periods in confined environments, often under demanding operational schedules and with limited contact with their families.

Gillibrand said the newly disclosed suicide attempts had increased pressure on the Navy and Defence Department to explain how commanders responded to the incidents and what additional mental-health support was made available across the strike group.