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.

Oregon Governor Kate Brown Administers Oath of Office for Col Donna Prigmore's Promotion

142nd Wing

Video by Tech. Sgt. Emily Moon

Aug. 5, 2018 | 5:59

B-roll of Col Donna Prigmore's promotion to Brigadier General and soundbites from Oregon Governor Kate Brown.

Oregon Air National Guard Col. Donna M. Prigmore is promoted to the rank of brigadier general, as Oregon Governor Kate Brown officiates the oath of office in a ceremony at 11:00 am. In a separate ceremony at 2:00 p.m., the 142nd Fighter Wing will welcome a new commander, as Col. Adam R. Sitler will replace Col. Duke A. Pirak. Media is invited to attend both ceremonies.

Prigmore will become the first female in the Oregon National Guard to be promoted to the rank of brigadier general as a traditional part-time Guardsman. She follows in the footsteps of Maj. Gen. Julie A. Bentz, who was the first woman in the Oregon National Guard to become a general officer. Bentz is currently serving on active duty as vice director of the Joint Improvised-threat Defeat Organization (JIDO) and also previously served as the director, Strategic Capabilities Policy on the National Security Staff within the Executive Office of the President.

With the promotion to general officer, Prigmore will serve as the Oregon National Guard’s Assistant Adjutant General - Air, which commands and ensures the readiness for both of Oregon’s flying F-15 Eagle units located in Portland and Klamath Falls.

She is currently assigned as Director of Strategic Plans and Programs for the Oregon Air National Guard. She has more than 35 years of military service since beginning her Air Force career in 1982 on active duty before transitioning to the Air National Guard four years later. She served as the vice commander for both the142nd and 173rd Fighter Wings, and has more than 12 years of command level experience. In previous assignments, she was the 142nd Fighter Wing Mission Support commander and deputy commander, services flight commander, wing inspector general, cost analysis officer, chief of public affairs and the division chief of Strategic Vision and Communications at the Pentagon. Most recently, she served one year as the executive officer for the vice chief of staff National Guard Bureau, Washington, D.C. In her civilian career, she is the senior manager, Passenger Terminal Experience at the Port of Portland.

In addition to graduating from Arizona State University with a Bachelor of Science degree, Prigmore has earned a Masters of Business Administration degree from Oklahoma State University. She has completed military training at the Academy of Military Science, McGhee Tyson Air Base, in Tennessee, and the Squadron Officer School, Air Command and Staff College and Air War College through the distance learning programs at Maxwell Air Force Base, Alabama. More