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The U.S. Army chief of staff has grounded all non-mission-critical military aviators after two recent helicopter crashes that killed 12 soldiers, CNN reported.

The order by Army Chief of Staff James McConville suspends the airmen "until necessary training is completed," the military said.

"The safety of our airmen is our top priority, and this grounding is an important step to ensure we are doing everything we can to prevent accidents and protect our personnel," McConville said in a statement.

Two military helicopters have crashed over Alaska

According to McConville, Army pilots "will focus on safety and training protocols to ensure that our pilots and aircrews have the knowledge, training and awareness to safely complete their assigned mission."

The grounding comes after the mid-air collision of two AH-64 Apache helicopters Thursday near Fort Wainwright, Alaska, that killed three soldiers and injured another.

Two of the soldiers died at the scene and the third died while being transported to a hospital, the US Army's 11th Airborne Division said in a statement.

The crash occurred about 100 miles south of Fort Wainwright, where the helicopters are based as part of the 1st Assault Battalion, 25th Aviation Regiment.

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