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.

Operation Sundown: COMCAM Disestablishment

Fleet Combat Camera Pacific

Video by Petty Officer 1st Class Benjamin Lewis

Aug. 28, 2018 | 8:17

Fleet Combat Camera Pacific, first known as Pacific Fleet Combat Camera Group, was established in 1951. Three years after the outbreak of the Korean War, Cmdr. Frederick A. Spencer, a former combat photographer, was ordered to active duty and told to “form and direct combat photo crews.” From combat in Korea, Vietnam, Iraq, and Afghanistan, to humanitarian aid missions, multi-national exercises, NASA operations, joint-special operational forces documentation, aerial and underwater imagery gathering, Combat Camera Sailors have documented history, providing the Fleet, U.S. Armed Forces, and the public with the highest level of imagery of worldwide events. Trained in advanced photography, video techniques and combat tactics, combat cameramen were ready to deploy worldwide for any situation at a moment’s notice. After more than 50 years, Combat Camera disestablished September 30, 2018, ending a legacy of excellence. (U.S. Navy Combat Camera video by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Benjamin A. Lewis) More