Crisis in the US Navy: 8 members of the USS Abraham Lincoln crew attempted suicide
Acting US Navy Secretary Hung Cao confirmed the suicide cases on the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln in a letter he sent to Senator Kirsten Gillibrand.
Quick Look
- Acting US Navy Secretary Hung Cao announced that 8 crew members in the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier task group attempted suicide.
- Senator Kirsten Gillibrand harshly criticized the poor conditions the soldiers were exposed to and the attitude of the administration.
AI-generated summary
Why It Matters
USS Abraham Lincoln served for a long time in the Middle East and its mission was extended many times. Concerns have previously been raised by families about the mental health and living conditions of the crew.
In the letter he sent to New York Senator Kirsten Gillibrand in response to her question, Acting US Navy Secretary Hung Cao stated that 8 crew members of the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier strike group attempted suicide during their long mission.
Cao stated that the eight sailors included "Lincoln crew and personnel from the aircraft carrier air wing, strike group and destroyer squadron, escort destroyers, and sailors from all aviation squadrons deployed on the ship." Cao stated that there were five chaplains and many mental health professionals on the ship to "meet the spiritual and emotional needs" of the crew.
"NOT ACCEPTABLE"
Senator Gillibrand, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, criticized the Trump administration's statements about poor conditions, calling the treatment of soldiers "completely unacceptable." "What Trump and Minister Hegseth described as 'fake news' turned out to be serious and deteriorating conditions for our soldiers. Our soldiers and their families make enormous sacrifices every day, yet the President openly disrespected them," Gillibrand told the BBC.
WHAT HAPPENED
Family members had voiced concerns about the sailors' mental health deterioration and poor conditions during the long mission in the Middle East during the US war against Iran. The US Navy had previously acknowledged that there were supply problems on the aircraft carrier, but denied claims that there was a mental health crisis on the Lincoln, which has approximately 5,000 crew members.
USS ABRAHAM LINCOLN ON ITS ROAD RETURN TO THE USA
The aircraft carrier departed from California for the South China Sea in November and was sent to the Middle East in February before the attacks on Iran. His term, originally scheduled to end in May, has been extended numerous times. In August, the aircraft carrier USS George Washington was sent to the region to replace USS Abraham Lincoln after a 9-month mission.
The Lincoln crew had stopped in Thailand on the way home, visited bars, shopping malls and beaches on their first landing, and then continued their journey to the United States.
SUICIDE IS ONE OF THE MAIN CAUSES OF DEATH IN THE US NAVY
Open Questions
- What concrete steps will the Navy take to prevent suicides?
- How will extensions of time be arranged for future assignments?
