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.

U.S. Navy and NASA Conduct Interoperability Training

Expeditionary Strike Group 3

Video by Petty Officer 2nd Class Ryan LeCompte

July 18, 2023 | 0:49

Sailors attached to amphibious transport dock ship USS John P. Murtha (LPD 26), Explosive
Ordnance Disposal Expeditionary Support Unit 1 and Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron 23
“Wildcards” participate in maritime recovery training in the San Diego bay alongside NASA
personnel, July 18, 2023. In preparation for NASA's Artemis II crewed mission, which will send
four astronauts in Orion beyond the Moon, NASA and the U.S. Navy will conduct a series of
tests to demonstrate and evaluate the processes, procedures, and hardware used in recovery
operations for crewed lunar missions. The U.S. Navy has many unique capabilities that make it
an ideal partner to support NASA, including its amphibious capabilities with the ability to
embark helicopters, launch and recover small boats, three-dimensional air search radar and
advanced medical facilities. (U.S. Navy Photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Ryan
LeCompte) More