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.

NATO Core Data Framework (NCDF video)

Office of the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff

Video by Courtesy

June 8, 2020 | 5:40

The NCDF video was used to support an annual NATO exercise called Coalition Warrior Interoperability Exercise (CWIX) 2020, which took take 8-26 June 2020. Due to COVID-19, the event was conducted in a completely distributed fashion--it is usually conducted on site at the NATO Joint Force Training Centre (JFTC) in Bydgoszcz, Poland. During the annual event, senior leaders from NATO nations and organizations are invited to see all the testing taking place to improve interoperability across the alliance--but due to the distributed nature of this year's event, that VIP session was conducted virtually--eVIP Day, on 23 June. The 90-min session was attended by over 150 NATO leaders, and of the 100+ IT systems participating in CWIX, NCDF was one of three selected to be highlighted. The video, along with a ppt brief and a short live demo, were used to describe NCDF to the audience. More