Reoptimization for Great Power Competition

“I’m extremely proud of the Space Force and all the good it has accomplished. But, as good as we are, as much as we’ve done, as far as we’ve come, it’s not enough. We are not yet optimized for Great Power Competition.”

~ Chief of Space Operations
Gen. Chance Saltzman

The establishment of the U.S. Space Force was a direct response to threats arising from Great Power Competition in the space domain. Nevertheless, our legacy roots leave us sub-optimized for the security environment confronting us today, and we must finish fine-tuning the service to continue meeting its National Defense Strategy responsibilities

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.

The space domain is no longer benign; it has rapidly become congested and contested.

We must enhance our capabilities, develop Guardians for modern warfare, prepare for the high intensity fight, and strengthen our power projection to thrive and win in this new era of Great Power Competition.

Video by Spc. Michael Ybarra

14th BEB and Wildland Firefighters prep for burnout operations during August Complex wildfire B-roll package 1

DoD Support to National Interagency Fire Center

Sept. 6, 2020 | 0:39

Sawyers with the Billings IA, a Bureau of Land Management Initial Attack crew based in Billings, Mont., and Soldiers with the 14th Brigade Engineer Battalion prepare a road for burnout operations at the August Complex wildland fire Sept. 6, 2020, in Mendocino National Forest, where they will clear out wildfire fuel such as trees and foliage. Soldiers of the 14th BEB are deployed to Northern California, at the request of the National Interagency Fire Center, in support of Department of Defense wildland firefighting response operations where they will work side-by-side with professional wildland firefighters. (U.S. Army video by Spc. Michael Ybarra)