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.

Civil Air Patrol assists Cal Guard with food bank operations

California National Guard Primary

Video by Staff Sgt. Edward Siguenza

Aug. 5, 2020 | 2:10

B-roll and interview of Civil Air Patrol assisting California Army National Guard at Merced County Food Bank, Merced, California, Aug. 5, 2020. The Civil Air Patrol is a nonprofit organization that serves as an auxiliary of the U.S. Air Force. It has aided Cal Guard’s food bank operations for several months, not long after Cal Guard initiated its COVID-19 humanitarian assistance in late March 2020.
Interviews: Maj. Mark Lewis, Composite Squadron 147, Civil Air Patrol, Merced County, California; 1st Lt. Zachary Ota, commander, 104th Quartermaster Company, 340th Brigade Support Battalion, 115th Regional Support Group, California Army National Guard.
U.S. Army National Guard video by Staff Sgt. Eddie Siguenza More