Dana Rohrabacher: “I rise tonight to discuss an issue that relates directly to the safety of the men and women whose task it is to defend…”

“I rise tonight to discuss an issue that relates directly to the safety of the men and women whose task it is to defend our country. It also goes to the heart of the American lead in the aviation technology upon which we depend so much. For over a decade, I backed a project that I believed would permit America to take the lead in the next major step in aviation technology, that is, Vertical Takeoff and Vertical Landing aircraft. Unfortunately, it is clear now that the project, the Osprey project, has been a costly and a dangerous failure. Of the 11 aircraft built, four have crashed, and three of the crashes resulted in 30 fatalities. That is 30 dead heroes whom we cannot bring back. The flight crews that were lost were the most experienced on this craft and some of the best and the brightest of the Marine Corps. On page 32 of the most recent copy of the Marine Corps Gazette, there is an article by a pilot who is also a weapons and tactics instructor that underscores the skepticism about the viability of the Osprey program. Then there is the alarming allegations of a cover-up, a cover-up and records falsification by Marine officers directly involved in the Osprey's operational testing. Recently, the Defense Department's Blue Ribbon panel echoed the finding of the Marine Corps' Accident Mishap Board in recommending extensive redesign of the craft.”