A US Navy official revealed that 8 suicide cases were recorded among soldiers who accompanied the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln during its long deployment in the Middle East. This announcement sparked sharp criticism from President Donald Trump, who had previously downplayed reports of deteriorating service conditions and the psychological state of soldiers, considering that the duration of deployment was not long enough.
This number came in a letter sent by Acting Secretary of the Navy, Hong Kao, to Democratic Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, in response to questions she asked on August 15 regarding the date of the carrier’s return, and whether the crew had been informed of the possibility of extending its mission, in addition to inquiring about suicide cases, according to a report prepared by journalists Dan Gooding and Joshua Rhett Miller in Newsweek magazine. Previous reports during the summer had indicated only two cases.
Kao explained that the eight cases are not limited to the carrier’s crew alone, but rather include members of the crew, in addition to sailors and soldiers in the air wing, the accompanying naval ship group, the staff of the destroyer and destroyer escort squadrons, and the aviation squadrons on board the ships.
Regarding care on board the ship, Kao confirmed the availability of mental health services, which included 5 religious guides, a prevention counselor, a psychologist, a clinical social worker, and 3 behavioral health technicians, as well as a dog designated for psychological support. He also confirmed the existence of complete discipline and the availability of sufficient food supplies, in response to previous complaints regarding the quality of food.
For her part, Senator Gillibrand commented on the letter by saying that what President Trump and Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth described as “fake news” turned out to reflect dangerous and deteriorating conditions experienced by the military. She accused the administration of dealing with the sacrifices of members and their families with “public disdain,” considering its inability to care for them as “completely unacceptable.” Newsweek indicated that it had contacted the Pentagon, the Navy, and the White House to obtain comment.
It is noteworthy that the aircraft carrier “Abraham Lincoln” left the port of San Diego on November 21, 2025 on a mission that initially focused on the Indo-Pacific region, and witnessed live fire exercises in the South China Sea in early January, before changing its course and departing west through the Strait of Malacca amid an American military buildup in the Middle East.
With the outbreak of war with Iran on February 28, military data placed the carrier within the scope of operations of the Fifth Fleet, bringing its deployment to exceed 260 days. During the summer, there were frequent reports and complaints from crew members and their families about deteriorating maintenance conditions and poor quality of food.
On the other hand, the Trump administration maintained its position that the crew was receiving the necessary care, and some former military personnel considered that a deployment of about nine months or more was not exceptional. It should be noted that the carrier later stopped in Thailand to give its crew a rest period, after it was replaced by the aircraft carrier USS George Washington.
The Navy’s letter reopens the discussion about the working conditions of the Navy, providing a documented official figure that exceeds the toll previously announced.
