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.

Park Rangers conduct SPEAR training

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Pittsburgh District

Video by Michel Sauret

March 17, 2025 | 1:00

Park Rangers from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Pittsburgh District conducted SPEAR training as part of their annual mandatory curriculum.

SPEAR is a close-quarter defensive training to protect against an aggressor. It uses the natural human flinch response to block an attacker and get away. The goal is to de-escalate physical confrontations and seek safety.

The acronym stands for Spontaneous Protection Enabling Accelerated Response.

At the beginning of the training, rangers completed a dodgeball exercise to show the body’s natural flinch reaction when something like a dodgeball is thrown at them. Ranger learned how to weaponize that flinch response to defend themselves against an attacker while exercising their duties in the field.

The training concluded with oleoresin capsicum training, also known as pepper spray.

(U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Pittsburgh District video by Michel Sauret) More