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.

Deception at D-Day

Army University Press

Video by Dominic Graham

June 6, 2022 | 33:08

Released on the seventy-eighth anniversary of the invasion, “Deception at D-Day” tells the unheralded story of how the Allies attempted to confuse German decision makers of the size, location, and time of the Normandy landings. Often overshadowed by the heroics of the landings, deception operations played an important role in Operation Overlord’s success. “Deception at D-Day” includes segments on the Atlantic Wall, Operation Fortitude, the Double-Cross System, Pas-de-Calais v. Normandy, and the Rundstedt v. Rommel debate while also teaching current Army doctrine on deception operations.

Doctrine Timehacks:

Three Types of Military Deception: 5:31
Military Deception (MILDEC): 5:41
Tactical Deception (TAC-D): 7:06
Ambiguity Increasing/Decreasing: 8:33
Deception in Support of Operations Security (DISO): 16:08
Deception Means: 21:22
Administrative Means: 21:49
Magruder’s Principle: 22:25
Physical Means: 23:54
Jones’ Dilemma: 24:38
Technical Means: 26:08 More