Reoptimization for Great Power Competition

GPC Key Decisions

USAF Case for Change

SecAF Memo

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.

QuEST (2022-02-23) Nelson Dellis - Memory Conversation Part 5

Air Force Research Laboratory

Video by Kevin D Schmidt

Feb. 23, 2022 | 59:36

In this edition of QuEST, Nelson Dellis continues his discussion on memory athletics, memory palaces, and person-action-object encoding methods.

Key Moments and Questions in the video include:
Chunk information for memorization/encoding
PAO
Memory palace
Proposal to write about Nelson's method
Training vs competition
Competition one-shot encoding
Sys 1
Sys 2
Conscious learning
Connecting with AI
S3Q theory of conscious learning
Where/what stream - situated vectors
Fundamental limit
Throughput of consciousness is a low bit rate
Spoken numbers event
Auditory 1 digit per second
7 items pls/minus 2
Memory palace
Use what you know
Takes the load off memorizing
Rate limit
50-60 bits per second
Trial/error aspect of learning PAO techniques
Nelson explain how he started his learning process of PAO
Similar actions in the memory palace
Eliminate time wasting
Positive/negative association with the PAO
Arousal vs valence
Physical cards vs virtual display
What is the dip in memorization when switching between physical and virtual decks?
Time as the tie breaker
Perception space of repeat cards back-to-back
PAO formula keeps the memory palace encoding organized
Continuous training on the PAO
Creating the PAO story in the memory palace
Variations on studying cards for memorization
Personal preferences
PAO composition
Memory vocalization
Simulation space vs label space
Foreign languages
Person encoding can be other than human
Action encoded the same across the various combinations of PAO
Organization for paper on S3Q theory and memory palace

Case Number AFRL-2024-2588 More