Skip to comments.
Civil Reserve Air Fleet Stage I Activated
DoD, Press Release ^
| 2/8/2003
| Navy Capt. Steve Honda
Posted on 02/08/2003 5:00:50 PM PST by PokeyJoe
NEWS RELEASE from the United States Department of Defense
No. 064-03 (703)697-5131(media) IMMEDIATE RELEASE February 8, 2003 (703)428-0711(public/industry)
CIVIL RESERVE AIR FLEET STAGE I ACTIVATION ANNOUNCED
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: http://www.af.mil/news/biographies/handy_jw.html, 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.
TOPICS: Breaking News; Front Page News; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: air; buildup; fleet; force; iraq; reserve; stage
Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-20, 21-40, 41-60, 61-70 next last
To: Merovingian
The airwar and the ground war will be coexistant in time.
Be Seeing You,
Chris
21
posted on
02/08/2003 5:38:54 PM PST
by
section9
(The girl in the picture is Major Motoko Kusanagi from "Ghost In the Shell". Any questions?)
To: MikeWUSAF
So, that makes you a low value asset invulnerable to attack?
Just kidding.
Keep up the good work!
22
posted on
02/08/2003 5:39:23 PM PST
by
Blueflag
To: TankerKC
Whatever happened to Tab anyway? If it wasnt for him saying that 35+ years ago I would not remember Tab.
23
posted on
02/08/2003 5:41:21 PM PST
by
winodog
To: TankerKC
HEY! I was in the USAF for 13 years.....and your note really ticks me off!!! You forgot about the golf course.
To: Travis McGee
All the steps.... and suddenly......You're there.
25
posted on
02/08/2003 5:41:47 PM PST
by
tet68
(Jeremiah 51:24 ..."..Before your eyes I will repay Babylon for all the wrong they have done in Zion")
To: TankerKC
Seriously now, I wonder what going to CRAF I is going to do for the airlines. Good or Bad?Well, the east-bound flights will be full....
26
posted on
02/08/2003 5:44:00 PM PST
by
Gamecock
(The friendship of the French is like their wine, exquisite, but of short duration.)
To: Blueflag
"So, that makes you a low value asset invulnerable to attack?"
EXACTLY! Unless the enemy has ARMs (Anti Radiation Missiles). Then your screwed! ;)
27
posted on
02/08/2003 5:44:29 PM PST
by
TSgt
("Put out my hand and touched the face of God.")
To: MikeWUSAF
Just make sure your shiny new ell-tee doesn't ask you to park your trailer near the RF emitters!
28
posted on
02/08/2003 5:47:39 PM PST
by
Blueflag
To: tet68
A us with a front row seat to history every day.
God bless the troops who march with NBC gear into harms way.
29
posted on
02/08/2003 5:48:32 PM PST
by
Travis McGee
(----- www.EnemiesForeignAndDomestic.com -----)
To: tet68
> All the steps.... and suddenly......You're there.
I would have expected this step (CRAF-I) some time ago, if it's going to be needed at all.
In particular, the airlines have parked a lot of perfectly useful transports in the desert, and furloughed pilots. If CRAF were already drawing down active airliners, the airlines might be putting some of that spare aluminum back in service. We may need all of it.
To: Boundless
Isn't there a merchant marine set up like this too?
Can't remember the name for it, wonder if the word
has gone to them too.
31
posted on
02/08/2003 6:12:49 PM PST
by
tet68
(Jeremiah 51:24 ..."..Before your eyes I will repay Babylon for all the wrong they have done in Zion")
To: PokeyJoe
"I'm ready. I'm ready. I want those boots."
32
posted on
02/08/2003 6:15:23 PM PST
by
brewcrew
(It is useless to attempt to reason a man out of a thing he was never reasoned into. - Jonathan Swift)
To: Merovingian
Times 2 is: omigosh! 060606!
33
posted on
02/08/2003 6:16:43 PM PST
by
Arkie2
(What do you call 100,000 Frenchmen with their arms in the air? The Army!)
To: MikeWUSAF
Spent the Gulf War in an AWACS. No Iraqi fighter or SAM ever got within spittin' distance of us. Thanks to our fighter cap and the fact the Iraqi's had no SAM's left the day the war began! :^)
34
posted on
02/08/2003 6:19:17 PM PST
by
Arkie2
(What do you call 100,000 Frenchmen with their arms in the air? The Army!)
To: MikeWUSAF
I don't mean any offense to the Air Force, but I spent a few months TAD at a naval air station (Oceana). There was an Air Force radar unit attached that shared facilites with the sailors. I was lucky, being a TAD Marine, I had a room to myself. The one thing that I heard sailors complain about the Air Force guys.
1) "Those AF guys get free cable in their room!"
2) "Those AF guys get maid service to keep their room clean!"
3) "Those AF guys have carpet!"
4) "Those AF guys get paid extra money because they live on a Naval Air Station!"
5) "I wish I would have joined the AF instead of the Navy."
I dunno. We sent in a cute female sailor (aka chick-squid) to confirm, and she dated one of the AF guys for 3 months before he was rotated out. We learned that it was considered "hardship duty" for the AF to live at NAS Oceana.
Btw, if I had a chance - I would live in Virginia Beach in a heartbeat. Best damn duty station that I ever had the pleasure of being assigned.
VA-42 (Green Knights) was a lucky squadron, even if we were all noobs.
35
posted on
02/08/2003 6:33:47 PM PST
by
PokeyJoe
(Call 'em what they are. Pro-Appeasment Protesters!)
To: tet68
> Isn't there a merchant marine set up like this too? Can't remember the name for it, wonder if the word has gone to them too.
CRAF was doubtless modeled on an earlier MM system, but in the meantime flying a US flag on your boat has gotten so expensive and cumbersome that virtually no one does it any more. And I'll bet you have to be US-registered to be in the program.
So there may not be many ships to call up. Furthermore, with today's uberblitzkrieg wars, about all that private cargo ships are good for is bringing trophies back afterwards to display at military posts.
To: PokeyJoe
my bad.
It was the VA-42 Green Pawns
37
posted on
02/08/2003 6:40:30 PM PST
by
PokeyJoe
(Call 'em what they are. Pro-Appeasment Protesters!)
To: Arkinsaw
Yeah, nothing to see here. /sarcasm
To: FreeTheHostages
Today in DC the customs helicopters were flying overhead -- increased surveillance of the DC skies. I heard helicopter noises at work (too busy to look out the window). Was wondering what it was all about. It was kind of eerie.
To: tet68
[b]Isn't there a merchant marine set up like this too?
Can't remember the name for it, wonder if the word
has gone to them too.[b]
Its called the MARAD fleet. They activated components of it some time ago. They are stationed at both the east and west coasts.
Hospital ships, maritime pre-positioning ships, and RO/RO ships are part of it.
Last I heard, they had sent a bunch to the Gulf.
Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-20, 21-40, 41-60, 61-70 next last
Disclaimer:
Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual
posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its
management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the
exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson