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.

HMI Live-fire Demonstration during Project Convergence Capstone 4

24th Theater Public Affairs Support Element

Video by Staff Sgt. LaShic Patterson

March 17, 2024 | 2:56

U.S. Army Col. James J. Jones, with the Medical Capability Development Integration Directorate, and U.S. Soldiers with the 1st Infantry Division and 4th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division, lead medical and live-fire experimentation demonstrations during Project Convergence – Capstone 4 in Fort Irwin, Calif., March 16-17, 2024. Senior leaders such as Lt. Gen. Mary K. Izaguirre, the surgeon general of the United States Army and commanding general of the United States Army Medical Command, and Lt. Gen. Sean C. Bernabe, the commanding general of III Corps and Fort Cavazos, visited the National Training Center to tour the latest medical technology and experimentation during PC-C4. (U.S. Army video by Staff Sgt. LaShic Patterson)

The U.S. Army is hosting PC-C4, a Joint Multinational experiment from Feb. 23 to March 20, 2024. U.S. Army and British Army medics had the opportunity to discuss their experiences working with new patient treatment systems, such as the new patient litter system, the Health Readiness and Performance System, which monitors a Soldier's health using tracking applications, and new training aids.

The day opened with a round table discussion around the scheme of the experimentation and included demonstrations by flight and combat medics who discussed Mission Adaptive Autonomy, Army Health System, and technology integration into medical support for Role I, II, and III. More