Reoptimization for Great Power Competition

GPC Key Decisions

USAF Case for Change

SecAF Memo

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.

185th ECAB OIR 23-24

102d Public Affairs Detachment

Video by Sgt. 1st Class Shane Hamann

Feb. 1, 2024 | 2:44

Video of the 185th Expeditionary Combat Aviation Brigade deployment in support of OIR 23-24.

The 185th ECAB, headquartered in the Mississippi Army National Guard, mobilized in February 2023 to support Operations Inherent Resolve, Spartan Shield, and New Normal in the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility and returned home in February 2024.

The brigade consists of units from 11 states' Army National Guard, including California, Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Massachusetts, Maryland, Maine, Mississippi, New Jersey, New York, and Vermont, organized into three battalions along with the brigade headquarters.

The 3rd General Support Aviation Battalion, 126th Infantry Regiment, headquartered in the Massachusetts Army National Guard, the 1st Assault Helicopter Battalion, 106th Aviation Regiment, headquartered in the Illinois National Guard, and the 642d Aviation Support Battalion, headquartered in the New York Army National Guard, deployed with the brigade Headquarters as Task Force Talon. More