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 Justin Campfield

Pounding the Pavement in Palisades

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Los Angeles District

May 16, 2025 | 2:27

“The outreach team is really the Corps’ opportunity to show who we are to residents and survivors. Our primary duty is to show them that we are here, with boots on the ground, to help them.” - MAJ Mike Knowles, Emergency Field Office Palisades outreach team lead. In the months since the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers deployed to Southern California to help residents and the local community recover from devastating wildfires, the Palisades outreach team has tirelessly sought out opportunities to engage the public, share information and offer assistance. Farmers’ markets, forums, town council meetings and one-on-one appointments with survivors are just a few of the ways the outreach team has fanned out into the Palisades community to support the USACE debris removal process. USACE is conducting Phase 2 Private Property Debris Removal under direction of FEMA in coordination with CAL OES and the County of Los Angeles. More than 200 USACE personnel are currently deployed in the area to support the largest fire debris removal mission in US Army Corps of Engineers history.