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.

Team U.S. Wheelchair Basketball Highlights

U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command

Video by Michel Sauret

Feb. 9, 2025 | 0:38

A highlight video from Team U.S. competing in wheelchair basketball in the 2025 Invictus Games in Vancouver, Canada, Feb. 9, 2025.

Fifty competitors make up Team U.S., which is competing along with 22 other nations in the 2025 Invictus Games. Throughout the competition, events will take place in Vancouver and Whistler, Canada, from Feb. 8-16, 2025. The competition includes 11 different events, including six adaptive winter sports, the first year that winter-specific sports have been part of the Invictus Games competition.

The Invictus Games is an international sporting event for wounded, injured, and ill active duty and veteran military personnel. The Games use the power of sport to support recovery, rehabilitation and generate a wider understanding and respect for those who serve their country. The Invictus Games, like the DoD Warrior Games, are designed to enhance recovery by engaging wounded, ill, and injured service members outside of traditional therapy settings.

(U.S. Army video by Michel Sauret) More