The Secretary of Defense has given authority to
the commander, U.S. Transportation Command (USTRANSCOM) to activate
Stage I of the Civil Reserve Air Fleet (CRAF) to provide the
Department of Defense additional airlift capability to move U.S.
troops and military cargo. This measure is necessary due to
increased operations associated with the build-up of U.S. forces in
the Persian Gulf region. CRAF aircraft are U.S. commercial
passenger and cargo aircraft that are contractually pledged to move
passengers and cargo when the Department of Defense's airlift
requirements exceeds the capability of U.S. military aircraft.
The authority to activate CRAF Stage I involves 22 U.S. airline
companies and their 78 commercial aircraft -- 47 passenger aircraft
and 31 wide-body cargo aircraft. While this authority is for
all 78 commercial aircraft in the CRAF Stage I program, the
USTRANSCOM commander, Air Force Gen. John W. Handy, is only
activating 47 passenger aircraft. Currently, U.S. military
airlift aircraft and CRAF volunteered commercial cargo aircraft are
meeting the airlift requirements. However, if required, the
USTRANSCOM commander can activate those 31 cargo aircraft in the
CRAF Stage I program.
Three
stages of incremental activation allow the USTRANSCOM commander to
tailor an airlift force suitable for the contingency at hand.
Stage I is the lowest activation level, Stage II would be used for
major regional contingencies; and Stage III would be used for
periods of national mobilization. During a crisis, if Air Mobility
Command (AMC), the air component of USTRANSCOM, has a need for
additional aircraft, it would request the USTRANSCOM commander take
steps to activate the appropriate CRAF stage. Stage II was
activated during Operation Desert Shield/Storm. Stage III has
never been activated. Each stage of the fleet activation is
used only to the extent necessary to provide the amount of
commercial augmentation airlift need by the Department of
Defense.
To provide incentives for commercial carriers to commit aircraft
to the CRAF program and to assure the United States has adequate
airlift reserves, AMC awards peacetime airlift contracts to
civilian airlines that have aircraft in the CRAF program.
The
CRAF air carriers continue to operate and maintain the aircraft
with their resources; however, AMC controls the aircraft missions
through the Tanker Airlift Control Center (TACC) at Scott Air Force
Base, Ill.
USTRANSCOM relies heavily on the commercial transportation
industry - sea, air, and land - to move troops, equipment, and
supplies world wide in support of our Nation's
defense. Historically, 93 percent of our troops and 41 percent
of our long-range air cargo are moved by chartered commercial
aircraft.