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.

USS Arizona Double Interment B-Roll

DMA Pacific - Hawaii Media Bureau

Video by Courtesy

Dec. 7, 2016 | 20:22

The interment ceremony, which takes place at the USS Arizona Memorial, is unique to the U.S. Navy in that the USS Arizona is the only ship that returns the cremated remains of a survivor who found himself aboard that ship on Dec. 7, 1941. Nearly 80 percent of the crew was wiped out when the forward magazines exploded and the ship then foundered in less than nine minutes. This special service invites the family members to participate in the ceremony in which the urn of the survivor is placed in the well of turret No. 4 by National Park Service and Navy divers. This year will be the first time in which two interments -- for John Anderson (Boatswain’s Mate, Second Class) and Clarendon Hetrick (Seaman, First Class) -- will take place. Their families, along with invited guests and dignitaries, will witness this rare commemoration honoring their service and dedication to the U.S. Navy and the battleship Arizona. (Video courtesy of Raycom Media) More