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 Joseph Bara

Matt Ort, Spee3D

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Engineer Research and Development Center

Dec. 6, 2023 | 1:31

Interview of staff member from a Department of Defense Manufacturing Innovation Institutes (MIIs) member company during the Office of the Secretary of Defense Manufacturing Technology Program's (OSD ManTech) Point of Need Challenge held at the U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center's Cold Regions Research and Engineering Laboratory in Hanover, N.H., Dec. 6, 2023.

Matt Ort from Department of Defense Manufacturing Innovation Institutes (MIIs) member company Spee3D discusses the Office of the Secretary of Defense Manufacturing Technology Program's (OSD ManTech) Point of Need Challenge held at the U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center's Cold Regions Research and Engineering Laboratory in Hanover, N.H., Dec. 4-8, 2023.

The first-of-its-kind event is designed to find solutions to support forward-deployed forces in austere environments and showcases technologies generated by member companies of the MIIs. DoD launched nine MIIs between 2012 and 2021, each focusing on a particular critical technology, to help revitalize U.S. domestic manufacturing capability.

The projects cover three challenges: the Warfighter Medical, Health and Nutrition Challenge; the Staying in the Fight Challenge; and the Cyber Challenge. OSD ManTech will invest nearly $2.5 million, while industry partners will contribute nearly $700,000 in cost share.