CV-22 Clarifications

Air Force Secretary Michael Donley said today that the Defense Department would deploy the Air Force's special operations variant of the V-22 Osprey, known as the CV-22, to Japan -- but his comments, made during a question-and-answer session with reporters, later prompted Pentagon Press Secretary George Little to issue a clarification of the Pentagon's plans.

Asked if there is any plan to deploy the CV-22 to Okinawa or any other place in Japan, Donley replied, "Yes." When pressed on specific locations, he added, "I think I'll beg off on that for now. But the answer is yes." Asked about the time line, he said, "Let me see if I can get you a more detailed answer afterwards."

DOD, however, later deleted the exchange -- with the exception of the initial question -- from its transcript of the press briefing. In the place of the deleted text was an "editor's note" for "correction to the record: There have been no decisions made about the deployment of the Air Force CV-22 aircraft in the Asia-Pacific region," it stated. "As part of the planning process, the Department of Defense evaluates a range of possible basing options for our forces. That process is currently ongoing."

By day's end, Little had issued a statement titled "clarification on the Air Force CV-22 aircraft," which noted DOD has not officially told Japan about CV-22 deployment plans "because we have not made a basing decision."

Here's Little's statement:

The Department of Defense continuously assesses its worldwide force posture. We are seeking a force posture in the Asia-Pacific that is geographically distributed, operationally focused, and politically sustainable.

As part of the planning process, the Department of Defense evaluates a range of possible basing options for our forces. That process is currently on-going and includes multiple locations in the Asia-Pacific region.

Any deployment of the Air Force CV-22 to the Asia-Pacific region is years away and no construction has begun to support such a deployment. The CV-22 is a Special Operations variant of the Osprey; as a Special Operations platform the demands for this capability are fluid and constantly changing to react to world events.

The United States has not notified the Government of Japan about the CV-22 because we have not made a basing decision.

The U.S.-Japan Alliance, supported by a robust U.S. military presence which includes the U.S. Air Force, continues to provide the deterrence and capabilities necessary for the defense of Japan and for the maintenance of peace, security and economic prosperity in the Asia-Pacific region.