EXCLUSIVE — A group of House Republicans is pressing the Navy to address a rise in mental health episodes caused by safety concerns surrounding submarine conditions while out at sea.
In a letter sent to Secretary of the Navy Carlos Del Toro on Monday, Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-FL) urged the top Navy official to address “frightening reports” from members of the Submarine Force caused by safety concerns and prolonged separation from family members. The letter cites multiple instances in which the Florida Republican was told stories about mental health episodes from submarine staff that Luna said has often led to “unfair investigations by the Inspector General when Sailors report their concerns.”
“The Secretary of the Navy is responsible for taking care of his personnel and ensuring that all vital equipment has undergone vigorous safety inspections to operate safely while underway,” Luna said in a statement. “We must ensure that all facets of our military operate at peak efficiency and that our service members’ safety is a top priority.”
At least two Republican lawmakers have signed on to the letter alongside Luna: Reps. Brandon Williams (R-NY) and Derrick Van Orden (R-WI).
Luna cites one instance in which she had “been told that leadership has obfuscated the condition of certain equipment” that is crucial to ensuring the submarine does not experience any casualties while in use. This has caused “increased anxiety” among sailors, Luna said.
“They feel that leadership prioritizes training evolutions over the safety of government equipment and their lives,” Luna wrote in the letter. “This widespread belief among sailors has resulted in the loss of key personnel to mental health concerns which directly impacts each submarine’s ability to go out to sea. It also affects other submarines and billets which are forced to restructure to compensate for the loss in personnel.”
The Florida Republican also referenced a story in which a sailor reported having mental health concerns while on a submarine that was caused by related “safety issues.” That episode resulted in the sailor being removed from the submarine and later being “hospitalized for suicidal ideations.”
“Allowing the mental health of one of our sailors to deteriorate to this point is unacceptable,” Luna wrote.
Luna especially pressed the Navy secretary to address the branch’s “inadequate and improper investigation process” when it comes to safety concerns and sailor complaints. The Florida Republican cited reports in which sailors informed her that many complaints can end in “a slap on the wrist or no consequences at all.”
“Submarine service is uniquely challenging. The pressure is unrelenting. The margin for error is narrow,” Williams said. “Meanwhile, the demands on our submarine sailors are growing along with the threat from China, Russia, and rogue states. Our freedom depends on their excellence. We owe them safe working conditions and reporting mechanisms that guarantee fair investigations, at the very least.”
As part of her letter, Luna is urging Toro to address a number of questions related to such reports. This includes a report on the current process being used by the Submarine Force to ensure proper safety checks on equipment before being sent to sea as well as an explanation on which external entities are used to conduct submarine inspections.
Luna is also pushing for information on what resources are available to submarine sailors who begin struggling with mental health concerns, as well as details on the process used by the Office of the Inspector General to ensure “unbiased investigators” are assigned to review sailor complaints.
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“We need to ensure that our subs are kept to the highest readiness standards and that if they are not, the investigations to rectify this are conducted in a manner that will fix the problem and hold those responsible for poor maintenance accountable,” Van Orden said in a statement. “We must also ensure that our Navy families are taken care of so that their Sailors can focus on the Mission, and not be worried about the welfare of their loved ones.”
The lawmakers gave the Navy secretary until March 25 to respond. A spokesperson for the Navy has not yet responded to a request for comment by the Washington Examiner.
