A New Era for STOP THE BLEED^®: Making Bleeding Control as Widely Known as CPR

The official bleeding control program of the U.S. Department of War launches a new home at DODstopthebleed.org and sets its sights on reaching millions more people.

A person with life-threatening bleeding can die in minutes, sometimes before an ambulance can reach them. In those minutes, the person most likely to make a difference is the one already standing there: a teacher, a coworker, a coach, a parent, a passerby.

That is the idea at the center of STOP THE BLEED^®, the official bleeding control program of the U.S. Department of War. As a public safety program, it teaches people how to act in a bleeding emergency before professional help arrives. Today the Program begins a new chapter built around that idea. We are launching a new website at DODstopthebleed.org and committing to a clear goal: make bleeding control an everyday public safety skill, as widely known as CPR.

Read the press release.

Welcome to the New DODstopthebleed.org

Bleeding control is a public safety skill because bleeding emergencies can happen anywhere: on roads, at work, at home, on sports fields and during disasters. The new website gives the public one place to find what they need to be ready for them. Here you can:

• Understand what life-threatening bleeding is and why the first few minutes matter
• Read about the three core skills: direct pressure, wound packing and tourniquet application
• Find licensed STOP THE BLEED^® training near you
• Identify appropriate bleeding control equipment and licensed sellers
• Explore the Program’s history and the standards behind it

More Than a Phrase

STOP THE BLEED^® is not simply another term for bleeding control. It is a defined standard for what is taught and the equipment people should carry. When you take a licensed course or buy licensed equipment, you are getting training and gear that meet that standard.

The Program has grown well beyond its beginnings. An estimated 10 million people worldwide have now been trained, including more than 4 million trained by licensed organizations in 2025 alone. More than 3,000 organizations are licensed to provide training, and the Program is active in 172 countries.

The new era includes active management of that standard and a growth strategy designed to expand the capacity to train millions more.

It Started With Soldiers

The evidence behind this public safety mission began with service members. They were taught bleeding control in training, then used those skills on the battlefields of Iraq and Afghanistan to save one another. In doing so, they proved that people without medical backgrounds can take effective action in a life-threatening bleeding emergency.

That lesson is the foundation of the Program today, and it will remain central as the Program grows.

They were taught it. They used it. They brought it home. Now we carry it forward.

“What service members demonstrated in Iraq and Afghanistan is now at the heart of STOP THE BLEED^®, a public safety program open to everyone,” said William S. Gardiner, Director, STOP THE BLEED^® Program. “The public increasingly understands that a teacher, a coworker, a coach or a parent may be the first person in a position to act. That growing interest helped licensed organizations train more than four million people in 2025 alone, and our goal now is to make bleeding control as widely known as CPR.”

Built by Many Hands

Military physicians developed the clinical evidence and doctrine behind modern hemorrhage control. From there, a broad community carried the message to the public, including the Hartford Consensus, the White House, the National Security Council, the American College of Surgeons, the Stop the Bleed Coalition, and many medical, government, public safety and community organizations. The Program’s reach today reflects their work.

What Comes Next

The new website, the CPR-scale training goal and the Program’s Brand Standards are the first visible steps in a broader growth strategy. Over the coming year, the Program plans improvements to training licensing and to the tools available to licensed instructors and organizations. We will share those updates here in the News section as they happen.

Take the First Step

You do not need a medical background to save a life. You need to know what to do and have the right equipment within reach. Start today: find a licensed course near you, and see what equipment to carry.

About STOP THE BLEED^®

STOP THE BLEED^® is the official bleeding control program of the U.S. Department of War. As a public safety program, it teaches people how to act in a bleeding emergency before professional help arrives. It is the evidence-based standard for bleeding control training and equipment. The Program sets standards for what is taught and the equipment to carry, and licenses organizations and manufacturers authorized to deliver them.

STOP THE BLEED^® is a registered trademark of the U.S. Department of Defense.