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.

AFSBn-Africa APS-2 Humvees return from DEFENDER 23 via U.S. Naval Ship Yuma

405th Army Field Support Brigade - Europe & Africa

Video by Cameron Porter

July 28, 2023 | 0:29

LIVORNO, Italy – Following DEFENDER 23, 40 Humvees from Army Prepositioned Stocks-2 used during the exercise were returned to Leghorn Army Depot and Army Field Support Battalion-Africa via U.S. Naval Ship Yuma at the Port of Livorno, Italy.

The APS-2 worksite at Leghorn Army Depot in Livorno includes 60 fully capable maintenance bays in 16 warehouses with 749,000 square feet of humidity controlled storage plus four maintenance facilities as well as 1.5 million square feet of outside storage. APS-2 worksites like Leghorn Army Depot help reduce deployment timelines, improve deterrence capabilities and provide additional combat power for contingency operations.

The 405th Army Field Support Brigade’s APS-2 program provides turn-key power projection packages ready to deploy at a moment’s notice while helping to reduce the amount of equipment needed from the deploying forces’ home stations. There are six APS-2 sites in five countries across Europe under the mission command of the 405th AFSB, including Leghorn.

The 405th AFSB’s Africa battalion, or AFSBn-Africa, is home stationed at Leghorn Army Depot in Livorno and is charged with receiving, maintaining, storing and issuing APS-2. The battalion is also responsible for linking national logistics capabilities and providing logistics solutions to Army units and joint forces South of the Alps, to include U.S. Army Europe and Africa, U.S. Army Southern European Task Force - Africa, the 173rd Airborne Brigade and other strategic partners in order to support two geographic combatant commands and enable readiness.

The 405th AFSB is assigned to U.S. Army Sustainment Command and under the operational control of the 21st Theater Sustainment Command, U.S. Army Europe and Africa. The brigade is headquartered in Kaiserslautern, Germany, and provides materiel enterprise support to U.S. Forces throughout Europe and Africa – providing theater sustainment logistics; synchronizing acquisition, logistics and technology; and leveraging U.S. Army Materiel Command’s materiel enterprise to support joint forces. For more information on the 405th AFSB, visit the official website at www.afsbeurope.army.mil and the official Facebook site at www.facebook.com/405thAFSB.

(Video footage courtesy 598th Transportation Brigade - SDDC) More