Military Airlift

The Air Force has greatly overestimated the number of airfields worldwide that can accommodate the wide-bodied, C-17 cargo plane; when runway strength is considered, the C-17's wartime advantage over its C-5 predecessor shrinks from 6,400 to about 900 airfields. The C-17 advantage dwindles even further when only airfields that have been determined by the Air Force to be suitable for military operations are considered. So far, the Air Force has surveyed about 2,800 airfields as suitable for military operations. When wartime landing requirements, including minimum runway strength, are considered, the C-17's wartime airfield advantage is 145. When airfields in the United States, Canada, and Mexico are excluded, the C-17's wartime advantage falls to 95 airfields. Although the Air Face claims that the C-17's ability to land at small, austere airfields during wartime is a significant military advantage, the Defense Department has identified only three such airfields that the C-17 would use in major regional contingency scenarios; two are in Korea and one is in Saudi Arabia.

GAO found that: (1) the Air Force estimates that the C-17's capability to land on short airfields would enable it to land at about 9,900 airfields compared to 3,500 for C-5 aircraft; (2) the Air Force's estimate did not take into account runway strength and included many types of airfields that are not suitable for either aircraft; (3) the C-17's wartime airfield advantage decreases from 6,400 airfields to about 900 airfields when wartime landing requirements are considered; (4) when airfields in the United States, Canada, and Mexico are excluded, the C-17's wartime advantage decreases to 95 airfields; (5) the DOD Mobility Requirements Study identified only three airfields that would be used by C-17 aircraft in major regional contingency scenarios; and (6) Air Force officials contend that the Mobility Requirements Study is based on a doctrine that does not currently reflect the use of small airfields and that when the C-17 is fully operational, the Army will change the doctrine accordingly.