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.

INTERVIEW: LCpl. James Count of 2nd Battalion, Parachute Regiment, of the British Army Discusses Swift Response 25

361st Theater Public Affairs Support Element

Video by Staff Sgt. Dennis Glass, Staff Sgt. Christopher Tobey

May 16, 2025 | 7:33

Lance Corporal James Count, a paratrooper with Bravo Company, 2nd Battalion, Parachute Regiment of the British Army, talks about his unit's experience and involvement in a series of force-on-force training events with US, Hungarian and Norwegian troops which took place during Swift Response in Bardufoss and Setermoen Norway May 12th through 16th, 2025. Swift Response is a component of DEFENDER 25, which is structured to increase the lethality of the NATO alliance through large-scale tactical training maneuvers and long-range fires. It builds unit readiness in a complex joint, multinational environment and leverages host nation capabilities to increase the U.S. Army’s operational reach. During three large-scale combat training exercises—Swift Response, Immediate Response, and Saber Guardian—Ally and partner forces integrate and expand multi-domain operations capability, demonstrating combined command and control structures and readiness to respond to crisis and conflict. (U.S. Army Reserve video by Staff Sgt. Christopher Tobey and Sgt. 1st. Class Dennis Glass) More