Reoptimization for Great Power Competition

GPC Key Decisions

USAF Case for Change

SecAF Memo

Air Force FAQ for Reoptimizing Great Power Competition

“We need these changes now; we are out of time to reoptimize our forces to meet the strategic challenges in a time of great power competition.”

~ Secretary of the Air Force Frank Kendall

The United States faces a time of consequence marked by significant shifts in the strategic environment. To remain ready, the U.S. Air Force must change.

In early 2024, the Department of the Air Force unveiled sweeping plans for reshaping, refocusing, and reoptimizing the Air Force and Space Force to ensure continued supremacy in their respective domains while better posturing the services to deter and, if necessary, prevail in an era of Great Power Competition. Through a series of 24 DAF-wide key decisions, four core areas which demand the Department’s attention will be addressed: Develop People, Generate Readiness, Project Power and Develop Capabilities.

Today, the Air Force once again finds itself at a critical juncture—an era of Great Power Competition marked by a new security environment, a rapidly evolving character of war, and a formidable competitor. This new era requires understanding its challenges and the attributes needed to succeed.

Embracing change is not a choice; it is a necessity. The Air Force must “reoptimize” into an enterprise prepared for high-end conflicts and long-term strategic competition.

JRTC TRAC2ES System Training

4th Combat Camera Squadron

Video by Tech. Sgt. Chris Hibben

Feb. 20, 2013 | 1:50

U.S. Navy Hospital Corpsman Petty Officer Second Class Michael Frosh is in charge of training Air Force and Army personnel during different evolutions of the Joint Readiness Training Center (JRTC) exercises. He teaches TRAC2ES (transcom regulating and command and control evuacation system) to soldiers and airmen deploying to the battelfield. He finds his job interesting because he is the only Navy enlisted person mixed into the hundreads of Army and Airforce members, Fort Polk Army Base, La., February 19, 2013. JRTC provides Aeromedical Evacuation forces with a premier training platform in a simulated combat environment. Joint training with the U.S. Army, Air Force and a Navy patient records specialist (on this rotation), enables participants the opportunity to experience the joint nature of a team in a large mission rehearsal exercise that encompasses the full spectrum of operations to mid intensity conflict. The battlefield of tomorrow will feature highly lethal and mobile weapons systems where violent combat will determine the victor. Combat medical units from the U.S. Air Force and Army train together for this reality during the exercise. JRTC provides a commitment to quality critical care and timely aeromedical evacuation of the wounded warrior in real-world environments. (U.S. Air Force video by Tech. Sgt. Chris Hibben/Released) Available in High Definition. More