'The pilots and crew were committed to accomplishing their mission and serving a cause greater than themselves,' Maj. Gen. Michael Cederholm said.
The U.S. has identified the four Marines who were killed during a training flight in Norway on Friday.
The deceased Marines have been removed from the crash site and are in the process of being returned to the U.S. The cause of the crash is under investigation. The aircraft -- a MV-22B Osprey -- was spotted from a rescue helicopter, and appeared to have crashed in the municipality of Beiarn, Nordland Police chief of staff, Bent Arne Eilertsen, told public broadcaster NRK on Saturday. The craft appeared to have"major damage," Eilertsen said.
The Marines said Sunday evening that the aircraft was participating in Exercise Cold Response 2022. According to NATO's website, Cold Response 2022 is"a long-planned exercise bringing together thousands of troops from NATO Allies and partners, testing their ability to work together in cold weather conditions across Norway -- on land, in the air and at sea."