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 Shawn Nesaw, Christopher Nwagbara

What does the DDS-M do to protect the Army network?

Capability Program Executive - Intelligence, Electronic Warfare & Sensors

Jan. 29, 2026 | 0:26

Cyber defenders in the U.S. Army work hard to defend Army networks from cyber threats. Their weapon of choice is the Deployable Defensive Cyber Operations System – Modular. The DDS-M kit consists of best-in-class commercial off the shelf hardware that packs neatly into two pelican cases for easy transport giving cyber defenders access to increased storage and compute capacity to analyze traffic on an Army network. Cyber Defenders utilize a variety of software tools that are chosen and loaded onto the DDS-M based on the mission. With the software tools, the Army has the ability to update software easily to continually enhance performance of the kit. Project Manager Defensive Cyber Operations (PM DCO) oversees the acquisition of DDS-M and delivers innovative and dominant cyberspace capabilities, as well as tailored information technology solutions for our national, joint and allied partners.