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.

U.S. Air Force Reserve, Royal Auxiliary Air Force Leaders deepen ties in bilateral engagement

Air Force Reserve Command

Video by Roger Parsons

March 17, 2025 | 0:36

U.S. Airmen from the 445th Aeromedical Staging Squadron and 445th Aeromedical Evacuation Squadron (AES), Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, and the 911th AES, Pittsburgh Air Reserve Station, showcase lifesaving skills aboard a C-17 Globemaster III during a Reserve Allies and Partners Program training mission alongside leaders from the Royal Auxiliary Air Force (RAuAF), In Flight, March 17, 2025. The engagement was part of the Reserve Allies and Partners Program, which aims to strengthen interoperability and readiness through international partnerships. Over four days, Air Vice-Marshal Ranald Munro, commandant general of the RAuAF, and Group Captains Paul Baroni and Ryan Mannering received briefings from AFR leaders and Airmen and observed demonstrations highlighting Reserve operations at the Pentagon, in-flight aeromedical training, and activities at Dobbins Air Reserve Base. (U.S Air Force video by Roger Parsons) More