Dozens of U.S. Air Force C-17s and contract carrier aircraft are leaving here every day carrying soldiers and supplies to Middle Eastern bases for the showdown with Iraq. When included with continuing operations into Afghanistan, this airlift is already the third largest in history, behind Berlin and Desert Shield/Storm.

Air Mobility Command is handling the huge load, but there is no question that the surge effort is stretching its resources. Since the lift to Afghanistan started, AMC has moved more than 445,000 tons of cargo and 447,000 passengers throughout Central Command's Area of Responsibility (AOR).

USAFE's Rhein-Main base, which is on the opposite side of the Frankfurt Airport from airline operations, is playing a key role. When the base closes in 2005 so Germany can expand the commercial airport, the USAFE aerial port capability will be shifted to Ramstein and Spangdahlem.

Overall, 54% of the flow into Centcom's AOR, including the buildup of U.S. forces for a possible war against Iraq, is going through Rhein-Main. C-17s are carrying a lot of outsize cargo that won't fit in any other transport except the C-5. The C-5s are flying cargo from the U.S. to bases in Centcom via Spain instead of Germany. Also, many of the 47 commercial wide-body aircraft in the Civil Reserve Air Fleet (CRAF) that were recently activated by the Pentagon are stopping at Rhein-Main on their way to and from the Middle East.

The intense operational tempo was evident on a recent peak day during which Rhein-Main processed 3,700 passengers traveling on commercial widebodies. Airlift movements through Rhein-Main in February consisted of about 25 C-17 departures a day, primarily for cargo, and nine contract-carrier departures, including passenger and cargo jets.