In Rare Crisis Measure, US Mobilizes Commercial Airlines For Afghan Evacuation

Afghanistan evacuation: The Civil Reserve Air Fleet is a "cooperative, voluntary program" between the government and private airlines that allows the US military to use commercial aircraft in emergency situations when it needs additional capacity.

The dramatic evacuation of people fleeing Afghanistan will involve a US military-civilian alliance that dates back to 1951 but which has been activated only twice before: in 1990-1991 during the Gulf War and in 2003 during the invasion of Iraq. The Civil Reserve Air Fleet (CRAF) is a "cooperative, voluntary program" between the government and private airlines that allows the US military to use commercial aircraft in emergency situations when it needs additional capacity. The partnership has its origins in the Berlin airlift of the Cold War, and allows the Defense Department (DOD) to "to augment... aircraft capability during a national defense related crisis," according the Transportation Department. In return for signing contracts with the government, "the participating carriers are given preference in carrying commercial peacetime cargo and passenger traffic for DOD."