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 Petty Officer 2nd Class Jason Isaacs

USS Emmons Memorial Dive

AFN Okinawa

April 6, 2024 | 0:30

American and Japanese divers conducted a memorial dive to the USS Emmons (DD-457/DMS-22), a U.S. Navy Gleaves-class destroyer later converted to a minesweeper shortly before the Battle of Okinawa, the ship’s final resting place, located off the western coast of Okinawa near Kouri Island April 6, 2024. First commissioned on December 5, 1941, USS Emmons served across the globe from New England, Normandy, and North Africa to the Mediterranean, the Gold Coast, and finally, Okinawa. On April 6, in the first week of the Battle of Okinawa, USS Emmons was attacked by five kamikaze aircraft. With 60 dead, 77 wounded, and the badly damaged ship drifting towards enemy-controlled territory, USS Ellyson sank Emmons by gunfire in the early morning hours of April 7, 1945. (U.S. Navy video by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Jason Isaacs)