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.

Contractors move World War II-era barracks building at Fort McCoy, Part V

Fort McCoy Public Affairs Office

Video by Scott Sturkol

Feb. 24, 2023 | 3:03

Contractors with JMJ Construction of New Lisbon, Wis., along with support from Heritage Movers of Blue River, Wis., move a World War II-era building in the 1600 block on the cantonment area Feb. 24, 2023, at Fort McCoy, Wis. The contractors are relocating and repairing four barracks buildings that are currently located in the 1600 block to alternate locations in the 1700 and 1800 blocks, according to the Fort McCoy Directorate of Public Works. The plan is to relocate the buildings to the new locations before the ground thaws, then lift them onto the new foundations and complete the remaining work by summer 2023. This was the first time in Fort McCoy's history a barracks building was moved like this. (U.S. Army Video by Scott T. Sturkol, Public Affairs Office, Fort McCoy, Wis.) More