I'd be very happy to.
The capacity of the C-17 is upward of 120,000 pounds of equipment, a tremendous capability. But even to get to that final operational capability, it took six C-17 chalks, as well as Airbus, and some other supporting aircraft. The real challenge for us was the distance involved, as I said.
On one such mission, we would leave from Trenton with a full airplane, go to Comox, British Columbia, stop for fuel, travel to Hawaii, stop for fuel, travel to Guam, another eight hours past Hawaii, then four more hours into the Philippines. That distance drives our ability to project force, and it is quite incredible.
Once we have the air crews in place, the airplanes don't stop. We switch the crews out. I talked about that air bridge. Our initial response always depends on the distance. We can fly only so far in a day, but once we've pre-deployed crews in those positions, we're very efficient at moving that equipment into place.
It is farther to the Philippines than it is to Afghanistan in the opposite direction, to give you a sense. To the Philippines and back is almost a complete tour of the globe.