Acting Navy Secretary Hung Cao disclosed that eight sailors assigned to the USS Abraham Lincoln carrier strike group attempted suicide during the ship's extended deployment. The revelation came in a letter dated Tuesday to Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, a New York Democrat on the Senate Armed Services Committee.

The attempts involved personnel from the Lincoln crew as well as sailors from the carrier air wing, strike group and destroyer squadron staff, escorting destroyers, and embarked aviation squadrons. The strike group included between 6,000 and 7,000 service members across multiple ships. No sailors died by suicide during the deployment.

The carrier began its deployment in November 2025 and remained at sea for more than six months without port calls while conducting combat operations against Iran. The ship is now returning to the United States after setting a modern record for time at sea.

Cao stated that the Lincoln had five chaplains and multiple mental health professionals available to support the crew. These included one embedded integrated prevention counselor, one psychologist, one clinical social worker, three behavioral health technicians, and one expeditionary facility dog.

The Navy has acknowledged temporary supply issues such as localized piping failures and reduced meal options for a short period but has denied that a broader mental health crisis existed aboard the carrier. Officials noted that the rate of attempts was roughly consistent with the overall active-duty Navy rate from 2024, when 356 attempts occurred among approximately 337,000 sailors.

Earlier reports had highlighted two overboard incidents, one in March that was prevented and one in early August involving a sailor from the air wing who was rescued and received follow-up care off the ship. The letter provided additional context on the total number of attempts across the strike group.

Gillibrand had inquired about sailor well-being amid family concerns over the prolonged mission. The disclosure follows months of reports on deployment strains including extended time at sea and high operational tempo.