Following two recent helicopter crashes which led to the death of 12 soldiers, the chief of staff of the US Army has issued an order to ground all Army aviators not involved in critical missions until they complete the required training. The order came from Army Chief of Staff James McConville, who said that "the safety of our aviators is our top priority, and this stand down is an important step to make certain we are doing everything possible to prevent accidents and protect our personnel." During the stand down, army pilots will focus on safety and training protocols to ensure they have the knowledge and capabilities to safely complete their assigned mission.

The stand down follows the most recent fatal incident, which occurred on 27 April when two AH-64 Apache helicopters collided near Fort Wainwright, Alaska, killing three soldiers and wounding another. This incident followed the crash of two HH-60 Black Hawk helicopters last month during a nighttime training mission near Fort Campbell, Kentucky, which killed nine soldiers. The order mandates active-duty aviators to complete the 24-hour stand down and training by 5 May, while National Guard and Army Reserve units have until 31 May.