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.

Noah Furbush graduates from Marine Corps Officer Candidates School

Marine Corps Recruiting Command

Video by Lance Cpl. Phuchung Nguyen, Staff Sgt. Bryan Nygaard

Nov. 18, 2019 | 9:11

Noah Furbush, 24, graduated from Marine Corps Officer Candidates School in Quantico, Virginia, November 16, 2019. The mission of Officer Candidates School is to educate and train officer candidates in Marine Corps knowledge and skills within a controlled and challenging environment in order to evaluate and screen individuals for the leadership, moral and physical qualities required for commissioning as a Marine Officer.

Furbush, a former linebacker at the University of Michigan, is now a commissioned officer in the United States Marine Corps. Furbush was a four-year Academic All-Big Ten honoree and the recipient of the 2018 Dr. Arthur D. Robinson Scholarship Award, given to the top UM football student athlete. He graduated in 2018 with a degree in aerospace engineering and then graduated with a master’s degree in space engineering in 2019.

Footage includes the graduation ceremony, oath of office, commissioning, and Furbush celebrating with friends and family.

(U.S. Marine Corps photo by Staff Sgt. Bryan Nygaard, Sgt. Servante Coba, and Lance Cpl. Phuchung Nguyen) More