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 Chief Petty Officer Gary Prill

USS Gerald R. Ford Wolverine of the Day

USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78)

March 17, 2023 | 5:21

The first-in-class aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78) USS Gerald R. Ford's (CVN78) March 10-17 Wolverines of the Day. March 10, Cryptologicical Technician Technical 2nd Class Jacob Ibbetson, from San Diego, California. March 11, Electrician's Mate 3rd Class Brandon Hunnicut, from Jacksonville, North Carolina. March 12, Aviation Machinist's Mate Airman David Lowery, from Rio Vista, Texas. March 15, Aviation Ordnanceman Airman Jacob Sumner, from Tuscaloosa, Alabama. March 16, Aviation Machinist's Mate Airman Keith Cardinal, from Hazel Park Michigan. March 17, Aviation Ordnanceman Airman Lukenson Merilien, from Cap-Haitian, Haiti. Ford is underway in the Atlantic Ocean executing its Composite Training Unit Exercise (COMPTUEX), an intense, multi-week exercise designed to fully integrate a carrier strike group as a cohesive, multi-mission fighting force and to test their ability to carry out sustained combat operations from the sea. As the first-in-class ship of Ford-class aircraft carriers, CVN 78 represents a generational leap in the U.S. Navy’s capacity to project power on a global scale. (U.S. Navy video by Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Simon Pike)