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.

US Army Corps of Engineers Baltimore District Officer Discusses Washington Aqueduct Tour Experience

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Baltimore District

Video by David Adams, Jeremy Todd

Jan. 30, 2026 | 3:43

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1st Lt. Sarah Plantamura, a project engineer assigned to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Baltimore District Fort Meade office from Minnesota, discusses her experience during an Army Leader Professional Development tour at the Washington Aqueduct's Dalecarlia Water Treatment Plant in Washington, D.C., Jan. 30, 2026. Lt. Col. Mark Pollak, Deputy District Engineer for USACE Baltimore District, led seven uniformed military officers through the historic facility in structured training designed to build competent, character-driven leaders through education, training, and experience. Trina Littlejohn, chief of staff at the Washington Aqueduct, guided participants through the complete water treatment process from Potomac River intake through chemical treatment, sedimentation, and filtration to the clear basins that distribute drinking water to the greater Washington, D.C., area. Plantamura explained that her normal duties as a project engineer would not typically bring her to facilities like the Washington Aqueduct, highlighting the importance of the LPD event in exposing officers from various divisions to the strategically important asset's operations and the intricate chemical treatment processes that ensure safe, high-quality drinking water for millions in the nation's capital. (U.S. Army video by David Adams) More