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.

Space Systems Command's first Change of Command Ceremony (includes graphics)

Space Systems Command

Video by Ermir Bakraci, Walter Talens

Feb. 1, 2024 | 1:00

Space Systems Command (SSC) welcomes Lt. Gen. Philip Garrant as the U.S. Space Force field command’s new Commander during a Change of Command ceremony officiated by Chief of Space Operations U.S. Space Force Gen. Chance Saltzman at SSC headquarters on Los Angeles Air Force Base in El Segundo, California, Feb. 1, 2024. Garrant assumes responsibility for leading a global workforce of more than 15,000 military, civilian, and contractor personnel, and $15.6 billion annual space acquisition budget. Saltzman, Garrant, SSC personnel, and distinguished guests also bid farewell to SSC's first commander, Gen. Michael Guetlein who recently assumed the role of Vice Chief of Space Operations. (U.S. Space Force video by Walter Talens, SSC/PA)

[This version contains SSC "lower-third" graphics.] More