Draft Reinstated, for Airplanes
Commercial airlines have been enlisted by DoD to
transport troops and equipment as part of the buildup for possible
war with Iraq.
Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld (right) ordered the
activation of Stage 1 of the Civil Reserve Air Fleet, according to
a Februaty 8 U.S. Transportation Command press release. The CRAF,
created in 1952, boosts U.S. military airlift capability with
civilian planes, if needed.
Under Stage 1, 22 U.S. airline companies will make 47 of their
passenger airliners and 31 cargo planes available for military use,
according to TRANSCOM. Currently, only the 47 passenger aircraft
are being used. The cargo planes could be drafted into service
quickly if needed.
The Civil Reserve Air Fleet program has three stages. Stage 1 is
the lowest activation level. Stage II was activated for the first
time during Operation Desert Shield in 1990. Stage III, for
full-scale mobilizations, has never been activated; it calls for
the use of up to 400 civilian aircraft.
The Air Force's Air Mobility Command awards peacetime contracts
to commercial air carriers that participate in the CRAF
program.
Historically, the commercial sector has provided the U.S.
military with 93 percent of all troop air-transport and 41 percent
of long-range cargo needs, according to the TRANSCOM.
[Thanks to Gerry J. Gilmore, American Forces Press Service
--ed.]
Air Transport Association Reacts With Enthusiasm
"The
airlines have a proud history of supporting the United States
military in time of war—we have been doing so for over sixty
years," said James C. May, president and CEO of the Air Transport
Association of America, Inc. (right). "We are proud of what we do
every day and even prouder to serve our country in time of
crisis."
For decades, U.S. airlines have provided passenger and cargo
transport services to the military in peacetime and wartime. In
1941, Edgar Gorrell, the first president of the ATA, presented the
concept of voluntary civil airlift participation in wartime to
President Franklin Delano Roosevelt, shortly after the attack on
Pearl Harbor.
"The activation of the Civil Reserve Air Fleet (CRAF) program
demonstrates just how important our commercial aviation system is
to the United States," said May. "We are not only a vital sector of
the economy—we can and do fulfill an essential national
defense role."
[Plus, it will put some of the industry's excess capacity to
good use --ed.]
Long-Range Int'l Section:
Air Transport International
American International Airways
American Airlines
American Trans Air
Arrow Air
Continental Airlines
Delta Airlines
DHL Airways
Emery Worldwide
Evergreen International
Federal Express Airlines
Fine Airlines
North American Airlines
Northwest Airlines
Polar Air Cargo
Sun Country Airlines
Tower Air
Trans Continental Airlines
United Airlines
United Parcel Service
World Airways
|
Short-Range Int'l Section:
Alaska Airlines
American Trans Air
DHL Airways
Evergreen International
Express One
Miami Air International
Sun Country Airlines
Sun World
USAir Shuttle
Aeromedical Evacuation Segment:
Delta Airlines
USAir
Domestic Section:
America West Express
Reno Air
Southwest Airlines
Alaskan Section:
Northern Air Cargo
Reeve Aleutian
Lynden Air Cargo
|
Note: Air, Inc's Managing Editor of
Publications, Robin Stewart, noted that the official list (above)
is a bit out of date:
"I couldn't help but notice (in today's Aero-News) that
a few of the airlines included in the Civil Reserve Air Fleet list
have long since ceased ops, changed names, etc. AIR, Inc.'s
records indicate the following status of some of the companies on
that CRAF list:
American International Airways - Merged w/Kitty
Hawk, Inc. in 1997. Kitty Hawk International ceased operations,
filed Chapter 11 by April 2000.
Fine Air - Changed name to/merged with Arrow Air.
Arrow is on the CRAF list.
Tower Air - Ceased ops. Op certificate suspended
Oct. 10, 2000.
Trans Continental Airlines - Doesn't exist under
that name. Changed name to Express Net Airlines.
Reno Air - Doesn't exist under that name. Merged
with American.
Reeve Aleutian - Ceased scheduled ops 12/00 &
ceased all ops 3/18/01, but ... There's still a phone number, (907)
243-1112, with a recorded message that says,"You've reached the
corporate offices/headquarters of Reeve Aleutian," so they are a
partial mystery.
"Hope this helps!"
[Thanks, AIR! --ed.]