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 Airman 1st Class Briana Cespedes

BOMARC Missile Site Accident History

Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst

July 23, 2019 | 15:21

The Boeing Michigan Aeronautical Research Center missile site on then McGuire Air Force base was established in 1959 and stayed operational until 1972. This was the first operational BOMARC site among 13 built in North America, to include two in Canada. On June 7, 1960 at approximately 3 p.m., a fire erupted from inside one the shelters that housed a BOMARC missile. The Air Force responded after finding plutonium contamination from the accident. The historical BOMARC missile site was remediated from 2001 to 2002 to the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection and Energy standard. The site still stands today, clear of contamination.