Marine 
Corps Commandant Gen. James Conway told Pentagon reporters Friday that the MV-22 Osprey would begin serving in Iraq in September. Conway was not ready last month to give a date, but he clearly was chomping at the bit. The Marine Corps Deputy Commandant for Aviation, Lt. Gen. John Castellaw, said the Corps had been through “a very deliberate process to ensure that operationally, logistically that the squadron [VMM-263] and aircraft is ready to deploy.” He went on to say that the MV-22 tilt-rotor aircraft “goes twice as fast … three times as far …and it is the most survivable—about six or seven times—of … the aircraft that it replaces”—the nearly 40-year-old CH-46 helicopter.
Three of four congressional committees with influence over defense policy have voted to change the official name of the Department of Defense to the Department of War—but final approval of the Pentagon rebrand is months away and not yet assured.