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 Sgt. Eric Kestner

PACIFIC FORTITUDE - Emergency Deployment Readiness Exercise (Army version)

8th Army

Aug. 16, 2024 | 6:03

U.S. Army Soldiers with the 1st Armored Division, participate in an emergency readiness exercise that tests their rapid deployment capabilities at Fort Bliss, Texas to South Korea, July - August, 2024. The unit is participating in a deployment readiness exercise in support of Pacific Fortitude, which supports long-standing agreements to the Republic of Korea by deploying forces, drawing and transporting equipment to validate unit readiness and the U.S. commitment to the alliance. The rapid deployment exercise is a standard, routine readiness validation where a U.S. Army unit is tested on its ability to rapidly deploy personnel successfully to a given environment, conduct training and redeploy back to their home station. This exercise also tests the swift deployment and decisive utilization of vehicles and equipment already present on the Korean peninsula. Army Prepositioned Stock-4 or APS-4 are strategically placed caches of warfighting equipment in Korea and Japan that serve as a critical component of the U.S. Army’s ability to rapidly project combat power throughout the INDO-PACIFIC. (U.S. Army video by Sgt. Eric Kestner)

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