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.

Air Force Astronaut Delivers Remarks Before Piloting NASA’s Crew-10 Mission

Secretary of the Air Force Public Affairs

Video by Courtesy

March 14, 2025 | 0:31

NASA astronaut and Air Force Maj. Nichole “Vapor” Ayers thanks those involved in the SpaceX Crew-10 mission and the crew’s family and friends seconds before piloting the crew’s SpaceX Dragon spacecraft from Kennedy Space Center, Fla., March 14, 2025. The crew launched aboard a Falcon 9 rocket to the International Space Station at 7:03 p.m. EDT.

Ayers has flown missions across the globe, including more than 200 combat hours in Operation Inherent Resolve over Iraq and Syria and more than 1,400 flight hours in the T-38 Talon and F-22 Raptor. Previously stationed at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska, Ayers served as the 3rd Wing, 90th Fighter Squadron assistant director of operations before receiving the call to join NASA in 2021. (U.S. Air Force video courtesy of NASA) More