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 Harry Lockley

Funeral Vigil for Chaplain (Capt.) Emil Kapauan

Defense Media Activity - Army Productions

Sept. 28, 2021 | 3:16

Chaplain (Capt.) Emil Kapaun joined the U.S. Army from Kansas and served in the China/Burma/India theatre during WWII and with the 3rd Battalion, 8th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Cavalry Division during the Korean War. During 1st Cavalry Division’s retreat from Unsan in November 1950, Chaplain Kapaun volunteered to stay with the wounded, was captured and taken to a Chinese-run prison camp on the Yalu River's south bank known as Camp 5. Chaplain Kapaun continued to minister to other prisoners of war (POW), even after he became mortally ill. He lived long enough to celebrate a final Easter Mass for the POWs in late March and died on May 23, 1951. Other POWs buried him in the camp’s cemetery, but, he was not identified among the remains returned to U.S. custody after the 1953 armistice.
In 1993, Pope John Paul II declared Chaplain Kapaun a Servant of God, the first stage on the path to canonization. President Barack Obama posthumously awarded chaplain Kapaun the Medal of Honor at a White House ceremony on April 11, 2013.
On March 2, 2021 the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) identified the remains of U.S. Army Chaplain (Capt.) Kapaun. On Sept. 25, 2021, his remains were returned to Wichita, Ks. On Sept. 26, 2021, a Funeral Vigil Service was held for Chaplain (Capt.) Kapaun at the Hartman Arena with some 6.000 attendees.