Prolonged US Navy deployments marked by sailor suicide attempts

Two Virginia congressmen are asking the Government Accountability Office to examine whether service members have adequate access to mental health care during deployments, citing a fire aboard the USS Gerald R. Ford that displaced 600 sailors and confirmed eight suicide attempts across the USS Abraham Lincoln strike group.

Rep. James R. Walkinshaw and Rep. Suhas Subramanyam, two Democratic members of the House Oversight and Government Reform Subcommittee on Military and Foreign Affairs, sent the GAO a letter that cited unsafe living conditions, supply shortages, and what they called unclear access to mental health resources at sea.

USS Gerald R. Ford: Fire, plumbing failures during 326-day deployment

The Ford returned to Naval Station Norfolk, Virginia, in May after 326 days at sea — the longest post-Vietnam carrier deployment. During the deployment, a non-combat fire broke out in the ship’s main laundry room on March 12, damaging 100 sleeping berths and sending nearly 200 sailors for smoke-related injury treatment, according to Navy Times.

More than 600 service members were left without racks and slept on floors and tables, The New York Times reported. The carrier also experienced repeated failures of its vacuum sewage system, which serves nearly 650 toilets. The Ford called for maintenance assistance with the toilets 42 times since 2023, with 32 calls in 2025 alone, according to NPR reporting cited by Navy Times.

Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Daryl Caudle told a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing in May that the plumbing problems were exaggerated, saying the system “does not clog” if operated correctly.

USS Abraham Lincoln: 8 suicide attempts confirmed

Acting Navy Secretary Hung Cao confirmed in a Sept. 22 letter to Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., that eight sailors across the Lincoln carrier strike group attempted suicide during its extended deployment in support of operations against Iran.

“Since the beginning of Lincoln’s deployment, there have been a total of eight suicide attempts across the strike group,” Cao wrote, including sailors from the carrier, its air wing and escorting destroyers.

One sailor assigned to the air wing went overboard in August and was rescued by a helicopter before being medically evacuated. Another attempted to go overboard in March but was stopped by shipmates.

The Lincoln was at sea for approximately 286 days. Five chaplains and several mental health professionals were aboard, but only the psychologist and clinical social worker were licensed clinicians, according to Military Times. A deployed resiliency counselor left the ship six months into the deployment and was not replaced.

Cao acknowledged temporary “localized piping failures” and problems with the ship’s desalination units. He said meal options were reduced from two entrees to one “for a short time” to “optimize endurance,” though four nutritionally balanced meals were served daily.

Lawmakers cite strain on families, few resources

In their letter, Walkinshaw and Subramanyam asked GAO to examine mental health screenings before, during, and after deployment; access to treatment at sea; how the Navy responds when symptoms escalate; and obstacles to delivering care.

“Extended deployments place enormous strain on service members and their families,” the lawmakers wrote. “At a minimum, they deserve safe and adequate places to sleep, access to basic necessities, and living conditions that protect their physical and mental health.”

They added: “When those deployments are compounded by inadequate living conditions, Congress has a responsibility to understand the impact on morale, mental health, readiness, and retention, and ensure the Department of Defense is doing everything possible to support the service members we ask to serve.”

Suicide is leading cause of military deaths

Suicide is a persistent challenge across the armed forces. In 2025, the Navy recorded 356 suicide attempts among approximately 337,000 active-duty sailors, according to Pentagon data cited by CNN.

Among veterans, an average of 17.7 died by suicide per day in 2024, totaling 6,488 deaths, according to the Department of Veterans Affairs’ 2026 National Veteran Suicide Prevention Annual Report. About 62% of veterans who died by suicide in 2024 were not receiving VA health care in the year they died or the year prior.

A 2023 Defense Department inspector general’s report cited severe shortages of mental health professionals across the Navy, including aboard ships. After a cluster of suicides aboard the USS George Washington in 2022, the Navy pledged to deploy more mental health counselors to larger ships.

The Navy established a Suicide Prevention Task Force this year, and Cao has said the service is committed to sailor well-being. In response to questions about the Lincoln, the Navy said religious, medical and mental health professionals are available to support sailors as needs arise.

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If you or someone you know is considering suicide or is in crisis, call or text 988 to reach the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. Veterans can dial 988 and press 1, or text 838255.