An Air Force official said that while the service has altered some policies and training as a result of the crash, broadly speaking the pilots will retain discretion about when to turn back. "We need our aircraft commanders to be trusted up there."
The Pentagon announced nominees for other key Air Force roles, such as a new deputy chief of staff for plans and programs.
Six companies have already signed up for a new flight-test program to mature their autonomy software.
Pentagon officials say they have "high confidence" that they can return the V-22 Ospreys to flight safely, but are tight lipped on what they learned about the cause of a crash in Japan that killed eight airmen.