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.

Army Chinook takes flight with T408 engine

U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command Aviation and Missile Center

Video by Amy Tolson

Sept. 22, 2020 | 3:29

A Chinook with GE Aviation’s T408 engines takes flight at Fort Eustis, Va. Sept. 22, a U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command Aviation & Missile Center milestone that could expand the capabilities of future Chinook heavy-lift missions.

This first flight is the culmination of a five-year effort under a Cooperative Research and Development Agreement between CCDC AvMC, Boeing and GE Aviation to evaluate the feasibility and benefits of higher-power engines while assessing and reducing the technical risks of integrating advanced engines in a Chinook aircraft.

This flight demonstration, which consisted of hover and pedal turn testing to assess multiple critical aircraft parameters supported by live telemetry, is part of a research project to show how the integration of more powerful engines on the CH-47 Chinook helicopter supports future cargo helicopter capability needs. It also supports the Army Future Vertical Lift modernization priority. More