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.

CSA General James C. McConville, and SMA Michael A. Grinston, at dedication of M10 Booker Combat Vehicle

Army Multimedia and Visual Information Division

Video by Courtesy

June 10, 2023 | 0:28

General James C. McConville, Chief of Staff of the Army, and SMA Michael A. Grinston, Sergeant Major of the Army, greet attendees at the dedication of the M10 Booker Combat Vehicle at the National Museum of the U.S. Army, located at Fort Belvoir Virginia. The M10 Booker Combat Vehicle, formerly known as Mobile Protected Firepower, represents a new, modernized capability for the Army allowing light maneuver forces to overmatch adversaries. The platform will provide greater survivability, the ability to identify threat systems earlier and at greater distances, and will not restrict movement in off-road terrain. The M10 Booker Combat Vehicle will also allow Soldiers to move at a faster pace, protecting the assaulting force. More