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.

Lance Cpl. Francis Estrada: At Long Last

Marine Corps Recruit Depot, Parris Island

Video by Cpl. Luis Ponce Alavez

Sept. 23, 2022 | 1:59

Lance Cpl. Eduardo Francis Estrada began recruit training on Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island, S.C., in August of 2021. During that month, an ulcer formed and burst in his lower duodenum. He was then sent to Romeo company, where he would spend almost a year in recovery.
Lance Cpl. Francis Estrada was placed back into training with Alpha Company, 1st Recruit Training Battalion, where he would be made the platoon guide and would graduate as the Platoon Honor Graduate and Guide on Sept. 23, 2022.
(U.S. Marine Corps video By Cpl. Luis Arturo Ponce Alavez Jr.) More