8 sailors attempted suicide aboard ships from Lincoln strike group, Cao says
BLUF – Eight sailors across the USS Abraham Lincoln carrier strike group survived suicide attempts during its extended Middle East deployment, Acting Navy Secretary Hung Cao disclosed, as sailors and families reported deteriorating morale and weeks-long waits for non-emergency mental health care despite mental health resources aboard the carrier. For Navy Medicine, the disclosure adds urgency to concerns that current carrier mental health staffing and care-delivery models may be inadequate for prolonged combat deployments, where thousands of sailors can face sustained operational stress with only a small number of licensed mental health clinicians available.