Book excerpt: Without the support of airlift, the modern American military machine would be brought to a standstill. Since World War II—beginning with the Cold War and continuing up to the present day—the U.S. armed forces have come increasingly to rely upon airlift for mobility. The power to rapidly move and thereafter support a military operation—anywhere in the world, at any time—has become a foundational element of American defense policy. This work provides the reader with a comprehensive historical survey—including technical specifications, drawings, and photographs—of each type of fixed-wing aircraft used by U.S. military forces over a nearly 90-year period to carry out the airlift mission.