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.

K-12 students design the Navy’s Next Jet

Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division

Video by Timothy Boulay, Corinne Milligan, Charles Regner

Nov. 20, 2024 | 3:02

The U.S. Navy called upon students across the Southern Maryland region to draw on their innovation and creativity to design naval aviation's next jet in an inaugural competition by the Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division (NAWCAD).

"The aviation pros of Southern Maryland are the foundation of what makes America's Navy the most capable and dominant force in the skies," said NAWCAD Commander Rear Adm. John Dougherty IV. "The Navy's Next Jet Competition builds up our community's next generation of aviation excellence."

The Navy's Next Jet Competition launched on Sept. 4, 2024, and invited K-12th graders across St. Mary's, Charles, and Calvert counties to submit their futuristic jet designs for a chance to earn a tour of a NAWCAD squadron, meet the pilots, and experience Naval Aviation up close. The competition's top designs were featured on exhibit at the Patuxent River Naval Air Museum.

Naval aviation leaders judged student designs across the competition's three submission categories - K-5th, 6th-8th, and 9th-12th grades - based on creativity, feasibility, and innovation. The students were presented with awards at a ceremony held at the Patuxent River Naval Air Museum on November 8, 2024, which launched a museum exhibit showcasing contest designs and chronicling naval aviation past, present, and future. More