The Marine Corps commandant said he has full confidence in the aviation units.
September 18, 2023, 3:22 PM
Marine Corps Commandant Eric Smith on Monday issued a two-day stand-down to take place at some point this week for all aviation units both inside and outside of the United States, a Marine Corps spokesman told ABC News.
The move was made in the wake of a “mishap” with an F-35 fighter jet in South Carolina on Sunday.
That craft has not yet been located, though the military continues to search.
A Marine Corps spokesperson said in a statement on Sunday that the F-35’s pilot “safely ejected from the aircraft. We are currently still gathering more information and assessing the situation. The mishap will be under investigation.”
No units are allowed to fly until they have a two-day discussion about safety measures and procedures, the commandant said in a service-wide email on Monday. While the Marine Corps commandant said he has full confidence in the aviation units, he said he felt this was the “right and prudent” thing to do given both this incident and another recent incident in Australia.
ABC News’ Noah Minnie contributed to this report.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
