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 Scott Sturkol

Fort McCoy Garrison commander gives opening comments for 2024 Fort McCoy 9-11 Memorial Run/Stair Climb

Fort McCoy Public Affairs Office

Sept. 11, 2024 | 4:24

Fort McCoy Garrison Commander Col. Sheyla Baez-Ramirez gives opening comments Sept. 11, 2024, at daybreak during the start of the 2024 Fort McCoy 9-11 Memorial Run/Stair Climb at Fort McCoy, Wis. Dozens of people participated in the event that remembers the victims of the terrorist attacks on the United States of Sept. 11, 2001. On Sept. 11, 2001, 19 militants associated with the Islamic extremist group al Qaeda hijacked four airplanes and carried out suicide attacks against targets in the United States, history shows. Two of the planes were flown into the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center in New York City, a third plane hit the Pentagon, and a fourth plane crashed in a field in Shanksville, Penn. Almost 3,000 people were killed during the 9-11 terrorist attacks. (U.S. Army Video by Scott T. Sturkol, Public Affairs Office, Fort McCoy, Wis.)