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.

Innovations in Navy Medicine: First American Physician in Space

Visual Information Directorate-NMLPDC

Video by Javon Spence, Thomas Webster

May 19, 2023 | 3:38

Fifty years ago, on May 25, 1973, Navy flight surgeon Captain Joseph Kerwin made history as the first American physician in space when taking part of the Skylab II mission. From May 25 to June 22, 1973, Kerwin and fellow crewmembers Charles Conrad and Paul Weitz spent a total of 672 hours and 49 minutes aboard the Skylab space station. As the crew’s only physician, Kerwin was also responsible for operating what could be called the first orbiting medical clinic. Since 1973, seven Navy physicians have followed Kerwin as NASA astronauts serving both as mission-specialists and pilots.

This Innovations in Navy Medicine video is part of an award-winning series dedicated to showcasing the important innovations and hallmarks in Navy Medicine history. Stay tuned to DVIDS and Navy Medicine’s social media platforms for future releases.

Produced for BUMED Historian, Communications Directorate. More