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.

General Minihan's A/TA 2022 Keynote Speech

Air Mobility Command

Video by Tech. Sgt. Zachary Boyer

Oct. 27, 2022 | 50:40

Gen. Mike Minihan, Air Mobility Command commander, delivers his keynote address to Mobility Airmen attending the 2022 Airlift/Tanker Association Conference in Denver, Colorado, Oct. 27, 2022. Minihan provided a “state of the Mobility Air Forces” and the path ahead of Mobility Guardian 2023 and a potential near-peer and peer fight. Additionally, he illustrated the need to leverage a Warrior Heart culture to address the realities of lethality Mobility Air Forces are being asked to bring to the joint fight. This year’s A/TA Symposium brought together Air Force senior leaders, industry partners, media representatives, and Mobility Airmen and partners in an open environment to engage on issues and challenges facing America and the Air Mobility community at large, with a specific focus on the Indo-Pacific area of responsibility and the mobility joint force requirements that will yield safety and security for the nation. (U.S. Air Force video by Tech. Sgt. Zachary Boyer) More