00:01Eight sailors assigned to the USS Abraham Lincoln Carrier Strike Group
00:06attempted to take their own lives during a lengthy deployment to the Middle East.
00:10The disclosure has now brought renewed scrutiny to the mental health and living conditions
00:16faced by thousands of U.S. Navy personnel during the prolonged mission.
00:21According to Acting Navy Secretary Hong Kao,
00:24the eight sailors came from different parts of the Carrier Strike Group.
00:28That included the Lincoln crew, its carrier air wing, strike group personnel,
00:34destroyer squadron staff, escorting destroyers, and embarked aviation squadrons.
00:40And this detail is significant.
00:42This was not limited to one small unit or one specific part of the ship.
00:48The disclosure came in a letter to Senator Kirsten Gillibrand
00:52after families of sailors raised concerns about deteriorating mental health
00:57and difficult conditions during the deployment.
01:00The USS Abraham Lincoln had been deployed since November.
01:04Its original deployment was expected to end in May, but it was repeatedly extended.
01:10The carrier was eventually replaced by the USS George Washington in August
01:15after what the report describes as a roughly nine-month mission.
01:19The Navy says support was available throughout the deployment.
01:23Five chaplains and multiple mental health professionals were aboard to address the spiritual and emotional needs of the crew.
01:31But the disclosure comes after earlier concerns from families about conditions aboard the carrier.
01:37The Navy had previously denied that there was a widespread mental health crisis on the ship,
01:43which had roughly 5,000 crew members aboard.
01:46At the same time, the Navy had acknowledged some supply-related challenges.
01:51Acting Navy Secretary Kyle's letter disputed reports of widespread broken plumbing and food shortages.
01:57However, it did acknowledge temporary localized piping failures, problems involving reverse osmosis desalination units,
02:06and a brief reduction in meal options.
02:09That distinction has now become part of the wider debate over conditions during the deployment.
02:15Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, a Democrat on the Senate Armed Services Committee,
02:20sharply criticized the treatment of service members.
02:22She said the situation was completely unacceptable and argued that concerns raised by troops and their families had been serious.
02:31The USS Abraham Lincoln originally left California in November, first heading toward the South China Sea.
02:38It was later redirected to the Middle East ahead of strikes on Iran in February.
02:43The prolonged deployment meant sailors remained away from home far beyond the mission's original timeline.
02:49And now, as the carrier returns to the United States, the Navy is facing renewed questions about the psychological toll
02:57of extended deployments.
02:58The disclosure of eight such attempts during a single deployment has put a new focus on the mental health support
03:05available to service members.
03:07The Navy says chaplains and mental health professionals were present to support the crew,
03:12but the latest disclosure also shows why families and lawmakers continue to raise questions about how prolonged deployments affect sailors
03:21over time.
03:22The USS Abraham Lincoln mission is now coming to an end,
03:26but the questions surrounding the mental health and welfare of those who served on it are likely to continue.
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