Marine Corps Issues Service-Wide Safety Review

The order comes days after three Marines were killed when an MV-22 Osprey went down in Australia during a training exercise.

Kimberly Johnson

Friday, September 01, 2023 at 11:33 AM ET

Verified

The MV-22 Osprey’s mission for the U.S. Marine Corps is the transportation of troops, equipment, and supplies from ships and land bases for combat assault and assault support. [Courtesy: Naval Air Systems Command]

Key Takeaways:

The Marine Corps has initiated a service-wide safety review following a series of fatal training accidents, including two aircraft crashes within two days and an earlier infantry training death.
Acting Commandant General Eric Smith mandated a "thorough and harsh review" of all training aspects and adherence to standards, noting the Corps loses "nearly a platoon’s worth of Marines and Sailors to training accidents and off-duty mishaps each year."
The recent MV-22B Osprey crash in Australia, which killed three, is under investigation and follows a similar fatal Osprey incident in 2022 that led to safety modifications addressing a hard clutch engagement issue.

See a mistake? Contact us.

In the wake of two fatal air crashes in as many days this week, the top Marine Corps commander has called for “a thorough and harsh review” of processes in a service-wide safety review.

On August 25, an F/A-18 Hornet pilot was killed when the fighter crashed during a training exercise near Marine Corps Air Station Miramar shortly before midnight. Three Marines were killed and 20 injured two days later when an MV-22B Osprey went down during a training exercise on a remote island in northern Australia on Sunday morning. The accidents followed a fatal accident during infantry training earlier in the month. On Aug. 17, a Marine was killed during a nighttime live-fire training exercise at Camp Pendleton, California.