WASHINGTON, August 12. /TASS/. Several military personnel aboard the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln have tried to commit suicide, the Military Times newspaper reports.
The aircraft carrier has been in service for more than eight months instead of the expected six, and the staff does not know when they will be able to return home.
According to the newspaper, the USS Abraham Lincoln with 5,000 sailors on board began deployment in the second half of November to support US military operations in the Middle East. Its mission was expected to end in May, however, the date of the sailors' return home has not yet been determined.
According to relatives of the military personnel, several people tried to throw themselves overboard during the service because of an excessive workload, exhaustion and depression. The US Navy said that the leadership of the aircraft carrier constantly monitors the psychological state of the military and is ready to provide appropriate psychological and medical assistance. It refused to name the exact number of sailors who resorted to trying to commit suicide or intentionally harm themselves during the mission, Military Times reports.
Earlier, Bloomberg said that during the first summer months, at least five employees of the US cyber command or people associated with the military authority committed suicide. According to the agency, over the past year, foreign conflicts, including the military operation against Iran, boosted the workload on the cyber command personnel significantly. This has increased officials' concerns about the mental health of "military hackers," the story says.