Washington, September 25, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
Eight US Navy service members assigned to the USS Abraham Lincoln Carrier Strike Group attempted suicide during its deployment, Acting Secretary of the Navy Hung Cao has disclosed in a letter to senior Senator Kirsten Gillibrand.
Cao provided the figure in a September 22 response to Gillibrand, a member of the Senate Armed Services and Intelligence committees. He said the eight incidents involved personnel across the carrier strike group, including the USS Abraham Lincoln crew, carrier air wing, strike group and destroyer squadron staffs, escorting destroyers and embarked aviation squadrons.
“Since the beginning of Lincoln’s deployment, there have been a total of eight suicide attempts across the strike group,” Cao wrote.
The disclosure renewed Gillibrand’s criticism of President Donald Trump and Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth over their handling of earlier concerns raised by sailors and their families regarding 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, arguing that the welfare concerns of deployed personnel required greater attention.
Cao’s response followed an August letter from Gillibrand and 14 other senators seeking greater transparency following reports about living and working conditions aboard the Lincoln. The lawmakers had also sought information on the deployment timeline, operational readiness, medical and mental-health resources, living conditions and support available to sailors’ families.
The Navy secretary’s response detailed one of the eight incidents. According to Cao, a sailor attempted to go overboard in March but was stopped by fellow sailors. The service member received immediate medical care and was later returned to homeport.
The document released by Gillibrand’s office did not provide details of the other seven incidents, including when they occurred or the condition of the sailors involved.
The USS Abraham Lincoln Carrier Strike Group comprises the aircraft carrier, its embarked air wing, escorting destroyers and supporting command staffs. Such deployments involve thousands of sailors working for prolonged periods in confined environments under demanding operational schedules, with limited contact with their families.
Gillibrand said the newly disclosed incidents underscored the need for the Navy and Defence Department to address sailors’ welfare and explain how commanders responded to the incidents and what additional mental-health support was made available.
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