ABSTRACT
Air mobility has been a military strategic advantage used by the United States (U.S.) from the onset of aircraft carriers, to supporting air bases worldwide. The U.S. government and defense components rely heavily on a civilian fleet of aircraft to supplement air transportation requirements in both peace times and during national emergencies. This paper reviews the historical and legal development of the Civil Reserve Air Fleet (CRAF) and discusses previous struggles and successes of the program by looking at the functionality of the program, before addressing how current events bring about the realization that the program must change. Current changes in the way U.S. airlines operate, the way warfare has been changed, and the financial hardships associated with the COVID-19 pandemic are all used to envision a future of the CRAF program to provide future air transportation capabilities to allow the U.S. government to maintain the necessary strategic advantage of responsive airlift capabilities.