The count covers the whole strike group, not just the carrier. Cao wrote that it includes the Lincoln’s crew, the carrier air wing, strike group and destroyer squadron staff, escort destroyers and all aviation squadrons on board.
Eight members of a US Navy carrier strike group attempted suicide while it took part in combat operations against Iran, according to a letter from the Navy’s top civilian leader. The number had not been made public before.
Acting Navy Secretary Hung Cao shared the figure in written answers to Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, a New York Democrat who sits on the Senate Armed Services Committee. She had asked about the morale and mental health of the USS Abraham Lincoln’s crew. The letter is dated Tuesday, and CNN obtained a copy.
The count covers the whole strike group, not just the carrier. Cao wrote that it includes the Lincoln’s crew, the carrier air wing, strike group and destroyer squadron staff, escort destroyers and all aviation squadrons on board. He also wrote that no service members died by suicide during the deployment.
A deployment with few breaks
Between 6,000 and 7,000 sailors served in the strike group, spread across about six ships. The Lincoln stayed at sea for more than six months, and its time away from port set a modern record. Over that stretch, the carrier carried out combat operations against Iran at a high pace.
How the numbers compare
The rate of suicide attempts in the strike group was roughly in line with the Navy as a whole in 2024, the latest year the Pentagon has published figures for. That year, the Navy recorded 356 attempts among about 337,000 active duty sailors.
