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.

924th Fighter Group's final participation in RIMPAC (2024) 1 OF 5

944th Fighter Wing

Video by Master Sgt. Courtney Richardson

July 26, 2024 | 17:30

More than 200 Airmen and 10 A-10 Thunderbolt II, “Warthogs”, from the 924th Fighter Group of the 944th Fighter Wing are working out of Marine Corp Base Hawaii, July 26, 2024, during the unit’s participation in Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) 2024, July 22 to Aug. 1 in and around the Hawaiian Islands. This year is the final time the 924th FG will participate in RIMPAC as the unit is being deactivated in 2025. Hawaii holds a lot of history for the 47th Fighter Squadron as their historical lineage begins with Lieutenants Kenneth Taylor and George Welch during the attack on Pearl Harbor. The squadron was still stationed at Wheeler Field on 7 December 1941 with the attack happening all around them, Taylor and Welch were two of the first airborne and they we able to shoot down at least 6 Japanese aircraft. The world’s largest international maritime exercise, RIMPAC provides a unique training opportunity while fostering and sustaining cooperative relationships among participants critical to ensuring the safety of sea lanes and security on the world’s oceans. RIMPAC 2024 is the 29th exercise in the series that began in 1971. (U.S. Air Force video by Master Sgt. Courtney Richardson) More