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.

ACFT Familiarization

356th Broadcast Operations Detachment

Video by Pfc. Kimberly Brewton

May 5, 2019 | 0:30

Physical training relieves stress when training in an austere environment.
Brigadier General Joseph Lestorti, Commanding General, 78th Training Division, joins Soldiers in a familiarization exercise for the Army Combat Fitness Test during Operation Guardian Response at Muscatatuck Urban Training Center, Indiana, May 05, 2019. More than 9,000 Soldiers from across the country are participating in Guardian Response 19, a multi-component training exercise that validates U.S. Army units’ ability to support the Defense Support of Civil Authorities (DSCA) in the event of a Chemical, Biological, Radiological, and Nuclear (CBRN) catastrophe.
Narration 00:00:01:00
TRT 00:00:30:00 More