Reoptimization for Great Power Competition

GPC Key Decisions

USAF Case for Change

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.

Balikatan 24: C-146A Wolfhound beach landing scenario

U.S. Special Operations Command Pacific

Video by Cpl. Ernesto Lagunes

April 30, 2024 | 2:33

Service members from the Armed Forces of the Philippines, Australian Defence Force, and U.S. Special Tactics Airmen assigned to the 353rd Special Operations Wing, Air Force Special Operations Command, measure sand depth set and up a tactical runway prior to a C-146A Wolfhound low-approach maneuver during a beach landing scenario in Palawan as part of Exercise Balikatan 24, Philippines, April 30, 2024. The training executed between the AFP, U.S. and ADF prepares for potential crises, contingencies, and disasters. AFSOC is focused on further developing runway independence to enable Air Commandos to provide options for the Joint Force, Allies, and partners. Balikatan 24 is an annual exercise between the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the U.S. military designed to strengthen bilateral interoperability, capabilities, trust, and cooperation built over decades of shared experiences. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Ernesto Lagunes) More