Pentagon Readies Plans to Recruit Civilian Aircraft

WASHINGTON — WASHINGTON -- The Pentagon is drafting plans to commandeer dozens of civilian airliners to ferry troops to the Persian Gulf. It would be just the second time the military has exercised such powers since gaining the authority during the Korean War.

Pentagon officials say the buildup of soldiers, aviators and naval forces in preparation for a possible war with Iraq has begun to stretch resources for transporting troops and equipment.

The woeful condition of the airline industry has raised questions about the economic impact of such a call-up. But industry officials and analysts say privately that they are more worried about the effect of a war on commercial air travel than about the costs of activating the Civil Reserve Air Fleet (CRAF).

Indeed, with more than 900 aircraft in mothballs because of the slump in air travel, the industry has plenty of excess capacity to meet the Pentagon's needs.

"Overarching everything is that, if there's a war, I think the airlines feel they'll be seriously harmed, based on their experience of the Gulf War," when business among domestic airlines declined 8%, said one airline industry observer who is closely monitoring the negotiations between the airlines and the Pentagon.

"The American public post- 9/11 is very jittery about flying. Doing government work takes up a small bit of excess capacity, but overall a war is very, very bad for the airlines."

Airline and military officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, say that no decision has been made to call up aircraft.

But a senior Defense official acknowledged this week that such a call-up is "part of the plan" as the buildup of forces and equipment around Iraq gains speed. Two of the nation's largest carriers confirmed that they are in negotiations with the Department of Defense about putting the program in motion.

"We have had discussions with the Department of Defense about it, in anticipation that at some point, given the way things are going, a call-up could occur," one airline industry official said. "CRAF is a program that is relied on when the bell goes off."

The civilian air fleet was created in 1951 as a way to boost airlift capacity during times of crisis. Under the program, airlines agree to loan planes and crews to the military in wartime for a fee and the promise of government business in peacetime.