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.

Lt. Gen. Schoomaker at AUSA Conference, Part 5

Office of the Chief of Public Affairs

Video by Courtesy

Oct. 27, 2010 | 5:55

B-roll of Lt. Gen. Schoomaker speaking to an audience during the 2010 AUSA convention. Held every October in Washington, D.C., the AUSA Annual Meeting is the largest landpower exposition and professional development forum in North America. The Annual Meeting consists of informative presentations, panel discussions on pertinent military and national security subjects, workshops and important AUSA business meetings. The three-day event also includes over 500 industry and military exhibits occupying 500,000 square feet of exhibit space. Presentations on the state of the Army and related defense subjects are given by the Secretary of the Army, the Army Chief of Staff and other senior Army and Department of Defense representatives.Each year over 30,000 attendees, including senior leaders from the Army, DoD and Congress, as well as foreign dignitaries, participate in the AUSA Annual Meeting. The event provides a unique opportunity to showcase defense industry products and services to key Army and DoD decision-makers, discover new developments in defense technology and meet with colleagues from the world-wide defense community. Part 5 of 6. More