Thank you very much for that question.
As many would recognize, when you get calamities around the world at the level of where we would consider deploying the DART, time is of the essence. If you don't have that integral airlift support that we presently have, you are then in competition with everyone else around the world for whatever leased airlift assets you can get. Quite often in previous iterations that challenge of being able to contract airlift would have been a determining factor in the speed of our response of the DART.
Since the acquisition of the C-17 in 2007, we now have that capability integral to the Canadian Forces. In this particular case, on the ninth of November, the majority of our C-17 fleet was involved in the retrograde of materiel and equipment from Afghanistan, as we're in the process of closing down our contribution there. This air bridge was eastward to Afghanistan, and not at an inconsiderable distance. In the period of 24 hours to 36 hours, we recalled all of those assets and were then postured to be able to project the DART 16,000 kilometres in the opposite direction, to the Philippines.
At the strategic level of the Canadian Forces, the ability to project our own integral assets is key in enabling a quick and rapid response, which certainly enables DART's success to the greatest extent.