	Background

The National Airlift Policy, issued in June 1987, reinforced the need for and use of the Civil Reserve Air Fleet (CRAF) program, established in 1951. CRAF Participants Can Respond as Required

More aircraft are committed to the CRAF program than are needed to fulfill the wartime requirements established by the Mobility Requirements Study 2005 (MRS-05). Officials from CRAF air carrier participants that we visited confirmed that they would be able to provide the agreed levels of airlift capacity within the necessary time frames and that the turmoil in the airline industry after the attacks of September 11, 2001, would not affect their ability to do so. Over 94 percent, or 892, of 946 wide-body missions flown by CRAF participants in the first 10 months of fiscal year 2002 were carried out by B-747s, which accounted for only 38 percent of wide-body cargo aircraft committed to the CRAF program. We obtained mission data and found that almost half of the 892 CRAF missions flown on B-747s in the first 10 months of fiscal year 2002 did not use all available space or weight capacities. Over 40 percent of these recent missions flown by B-747s did not utilize all the available pallet positions and carried less than 55.7 tons. Conclusions

The upcoming reevaluation of mobility requirements may increase the need for CRAF in the future. However, the last study did not consider some factors—such as the ability of commercial aircraft to carry different sized cargo—that, if included, could provide more accurate and realistic requirements. There are strong indications that some major program participants are dissatisfied with their share of a key CRAF incentive, the opportunity to bid on peacetime mobility business, because DOD uses almost exclusively only one type of aircraft for peacetime cargo missions. This could cause difficulties in meeting requirements at a time when participation in peacetime business or CRAF activation is crucial. Recommendations for Executive Action

We recommend that the Secretary of Defense direct that the reevaluation of mobility requirements mandated by the Defense Planning Guidance include a more thorough study of CRAF capabilities, to include the types of cargo CRAF can carry and how much CRAF aircraft can land and be unloaded and serviced at military bases, and the Air Mobility Command determine whether smaller wide-body aircraft could be used as efficiently and effectively as the larger B-747-type planes to handle the peacetime cargo business that DOD uses as an incentive for CRAF participants. We obtained and reviewed data from and interviewed officials at the U.S. Transportation Command, U.S. Air Mobility Command, Office of the Secretary of Defense, and representatives of six CRAF participants, which represent about 38 percent of the total CRAF aircraft commitment, to conclude whether the participants could respond to an activation with the required number of aircraft and crews and in the required time frame. We also interviewed representatives of six CRAF participants, representing both passenger and cargo air carriers, to determine whether the incentives used to attract and retain program participants are effective.
Why GAO Did This Study

In the event of a national emergency, the Department of Defense (DOD) can use commercial aircraft drawn from the Civil Reserve Air Fleet to augment its own airlift capabilities. The Civil Reserve Air Fleet is a fleet of aircraft owned by U.S. commercial air carriers but committed voluntarily to DOD for use during emergencies. After the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, many air carriers experienced financial difficulties. This sparked concern about the fleet's ability to respond, if activated, and prompted the Subcommittee to ask GAO to determine whether the fleet could respond to an activation with the required number of aircraft and crews and in the required time frame. The Subcommittee also wanted to know whether the incentives used to attract and retain participants are effective.

What GAO Found

Civil Reserve Air Fleet participants can respond to an emergency or a war with the required number of aircraft and crews and within the required time frame. Currently, there are more aircraft committed to the fleet than are needed to fill the wartime requirements identified in the DOD Mobility Requirements Study 2005, which determined the requirements to fight and win two major theater wars. However, Civil Reserve Air Fleet requirements may increase the next time mobility requirements are studied. The last mobility requirements study was limited in that it did not consider the use of excess Civil Reserve Air Fleet capacity and the ability of some commercial aircraft to carry larger cargo than standard-sized pallets. The incentives currently in place to encourage participation in the program, especially the incentive to participate in DOD's peacetime business, might be losing effectiveness and could become disincentives in the future. Some participants are not able to bid on peacetime cargo business because their fleets do not include B- 747s, the predominant aircraft DOD uses for peacetime cargo missions. GAO found that B-747s carried out 94 percent of 946 missions flown by commercial aircraft in the first 10 months of fiscal year 2002. Furthermore, over 40 percent of recent missions did not use all available space or weight limits aboard B-747s. These missions might have been carried out less expensively with smaller wide-body aircraft. Using smaller aircraft would provide more peacetime business to a greater share of program participants, thus enhancing current incentives. However, the Air Force does not have sufficient management information to identify options for selecting the best available aircraft type for the mission.