Reoptimization for Great Power Competition

Reoptimization for Great Power Competition

Space Force Blue Background Graphic

 

 
Department of the Air Force
 

 

 

 

“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 

Space Force & Air Force announce sweeping changes to maintain superiority amid Great Power Competition

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 Airman Kaedin Teel
Download
B-Roll: 260429-Z-ND196-1001 - 137 SOW and 210 EIS Exercise Thunderwolf Capstone
137th Special Operations Wing
April 29, 2026 | 7:14
Airmen assigned to the 210th Engineering Installation Squadron, Minnesota Air National Guard, and the 137th Special Operations Wing, Oklahoma ANG, participated in a capstone exercise that tested their accumulated training and demanded timely responses to oppositional forces while maintaining communications infrastructure at Camp Gruber Training Center, Oklahoma, April 29, 2026. Each unit integrated their expertise in a simulated deployed environment requiring them to balance the technical precision of fiber optic splicing, tower and vehicle maintenance with the immediate demands of force protection, drone surveillance, chemical hazards and enemy combatants. (U.S. Air National Guard video by Airman 1st Class Kaedin Teel)
More
Air Force Great Power Competition

 

 

 
Department of the Air Force