US Secures OK for Osprey Operations in Japan: The Defense Department has announced that the US has reached an agreement with Japan that will allow operation of the V-22 Osprey tilt-rotor aircraft in Japan, the result of months of negotiations centered over safety of flight issues, according to a Sept. 19 DOD release. The US sent MV-22 Ospreys to Okinawa in July to replace CH-46 helicopters used by the USMC’s 3rd Marine Expeditionary Force. According to a senior US defense official, US Defense Secretary Leon Panetta and Japanese Defense Minister Satoshi Morimoto gave “deep personal attention” to the issue to ensure a positive resolution. Pentagon spokesman George Little said the process “allowed both sides to reconfirm the safety of the aircraft.” USAF also plans to station some of its CV-22 Ospreys in the Pacific region, according to Air Force Special Operations Command boss Lt. Gen. Eric Fiel, but he did not name a specific location during remarks at AFA’s Air & Space Conference Sept. 18. (Includes AFPS report by Karen Parrish)
Pentagon Releases Cost of Living, BAH Rates for 2026
Dec. 30, 2025
The Pentagon will pay cost of living allowances to 127,000 service members in the continental U.S. in 2026, an increase of 66,000 members in 2025. Airmen and Guardians across the U.S. will also receive an average increase of 4.2 percent for their Basic Housing Allowance, compared to the 5.4 percent…
