Military Readiness: Civil Reserve Air Fleet Can Respond as Planned, but Incentives May Need Revamping
Highlights
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.
Recommendations
Recommendations for Executive Action
| Agency Affected | Recommendation | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Department of Defense | The Secretary of Defense should direct that the reevaluation of mobility requirements mandated by the Defense Planning Guidance include a more thorough study of Civil Reserve Air Fleet (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. |
Closed – Not Implemented
In commenting on a draft of this report, DOD concurs with GAO's recommendation, however, rather than start new studies, DOD believes that it would be more appropriate to ensure that ongoing study efforts be given greater emphasis and require that any resulting reports specifically address the GAO issues. GAO agreed with DOD that this was appropriate.
|
| Department of Defense | The Secretary of Defense should direct that 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. |
Closed – Not Implemented
In commenting on a draft of this report, DOD concurs with GAO's recommendation, however, rather than start new studies, DOD believes that it would be more appropriate to ensure that ongoing study efforts be given greater emphasis and require that any resulting reports specifically address the GAO issues. GAO agreed with DOD that this was appropriate.
|