Divers recover 7th of 8 killed in crash of a US military Osprey
TOKYO – Navy divers on Sunday recovered the remains of the seventh of the eight crew members from a U.S. military Osprey aircraft that crashed off southern Japan during a training mission.
The Air Force CV-22 Osprey went down on Nov. 29 just off Yakushima Island in southwestern Japan while on its way to Okinawa. The bodies of six of the crew had since been recovered, including five from the sunken wreckage of the aircraft.
The U.S. Air Force Special Operations Command said in a statement that the body recovered by Navy divers was one of the two crew members still missing. The identity of the airman has been determined but the information is withheld until next of kin has been notified, the command said.
A week after the crash and repeated reminders from the Japanese government about safety concerns, the U.S. military grounded all of its Osprey V-22 helicopters after a preliminary investigation indicated something went wrong with the aircraft that was not a human error.
Blinken defends bypassing Congress to sell weapons to Israel
WASHINGTON – Secretary of State
Antony Blinken on Sunday defended the emergency sale to Israel of nearly 14,000 rounds of tank ammunition and also called for quick congressional approval of more than $100 billion in aid for Israel, Ukraine and other national security priorities.
Blinken said the needs of Israel’s military operations in Gaza justify the rare decision to bypass Congress. “Israel is in combat right now with Hamas,” he said during television interviews. “And we want to make sure that Israel has what it needs to defend itself against Hamas.”
The tank ammunition and related support constitute only a small portion of military sales to Israel, Blinken said, and that the rest remains subject to congressional review. “It’s very important that Congress’ voice be heard in this,” he said.
The decision to proceed with the sale of more than $106 million for tank shells came as the Biden administration’s larger aid package is caught up in a debate over U.S. immigration policy and border security.