Rash of suicides on USS Washington prompt Senate to boost military spending, mental health help

A series of deaths by suicide on the USS George Washingtonprompted senators to call for increased Department of Defense mental health funding.

That’s a key development coming out of the Senate Armed Services Committee’s mark-up of the fiscal year 2023 defense spending bill, said Virginia Democrat Tim Kaine, speaking shortly after the panel churned through some 100 amendments.

The committee also wants reports from the Navy about the Washington and the challenges sailors face when their ship in a shipyard. The Washington had three apparent suicides within a week in April for a total of six in the past two years. The carrier is at Newport News Shipbuilding for an overhaul.

“They train really hard to perform a function in the Navy and then much of their time in the Navy, they’re assigned to a ship that’s in dry dock getting repaired and they really never have the chance to go out and only do what they have desired to do and trained to do,” Kaine said.

Overall, the Senate committee wants to increase the Department of Defense budget by $45 billion from the $773 billion proposed by President Joe Biden’s administration. It includes the 4.6% pay increase in the administration’s proposal.

That’s mostly to cover a higher rate of inflation than when the Pentagon put together its budget proposal, as well as the U.S. response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Kaine said.

He said the bill maintains full funding for carrier construction and refueling at Newport News Shipbuilding, as well as for the Virginia and Columbia class submarines the yard builds in a partnership with General Dynamics Electric Boat.

And while the Navy’s budget proposal and long term shipbuilding plan call for fewer than the 31 amphibious ships than the Marine Corps says are necessary “we made it clear it is going to be a 31 amphib Marine Corps,” Kaine said.

The Senate markup also includes $125 million for an upgrade at Naval Station Norfolk’s pier 3, which is used by submarines, as well as $17 million for a support facility for submarines at the base.

It also includes $27 million for facilities at Dam Neck for special warfare teams, as well as $10.4 million for a radar facility there.

Norfolk Naval Shipyard is getting $47 million for work on the drydock, where USS Dwight D. Eisenhower will be worked on, and Langley Air Force Base, $10.5 million for buildings and land acquisition.

Last month, Rep. Elaine Luria, D-Virginia Beach, and Rep. Bobby Scott, D-Newport News, told the Navy’s top officer that the service needs to do more, and do it faster, to support sailors on USS George Washington after the suicides.

The Navy is investigating the suicides as well as more extensive questions about what sailors experience while their ship is in the yard and what sorts of changes might help.

Nearly 300 sailors who had been living on the ship have been moved to on-shore housing, while the Navy has installed cell repeaters, wireless internet and stepped up morale and welfare programs.

The Navy also has dispatched an additional clinical psychologist and a mental health clinician to supplement the Washington’s medical team, and the sailors have immediate access when calling the Hampton Roads appointment line as well as being provided expedited appointments for mental health referrals.

Dave Ress, 757-247-4535, dress@dailypress.com