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 Leonid Soubbotine

820th Base Defense Group Mission-Set

93rd Air Ground Operations Wing

June 13, 2024 | 2:44

This video details the full spectrum of the U.S. Air Force's 820th Base Defense Group's mission-set.

- TRANSCRIPT -

Future conflicts will pose great risk to air base operations in contested environments.

The 820th Base Defense Group is the air force’s solution to securing these forward-based airfields as a dedicated first-in, alert capable base defense organization that can be tailored to many different theaters and mission sets.

The group provides organic air assault and airborne insertion capabilities to enable launching and reloading zones for friendly strike aircraft close to the forward edge of the battlespace, or, to improve mission survivability and allow rapidly relocatable contingency locations for missions like forward aerial refueling points.

The 820th Base Defense Group provides self-contained, mobile initial expeditionary basing infrastructure capable of rapidly establishing secure communications, initial airfield and tactical landing zone assessments, and defensive emplacements in austere and hostile environments.

Using time-tested air base defense tactics, concealment, hardening, and expeditionary employment of weapon systems, tactical vehicles, and small unmanned aerial systems, these teams enable dispersed air operations at a moment’s notice.

They can also partner with joint initial entry and base seizure forces to provide a secure and smooth transition to additional airfield opening forces.

Each multi-functional squadron within the Group contains security forces, intelligence, emergency management, engineering, explosive ordnance disposal, communications, medical, logistics, and administration personnel able to operate with limited support from other deployed forces.

These Base Defense Group Airmen train continuously to master defensive operations and capabilities required for area, mobile, linear, and perimeter defenses and tactical retrogrades.

The future fight will be heavily contested and deadly, but these air base defenders train every day to ensure lethal tactical superiority in support of key strategic air operations.

The Base Defense Group also conducts offensive actions to seize the initiative through fire and maneuver to defeat or deny enemy forces from gaining the advantage or threatening military resources on the battlefield to protect airbases and enable unimpeded air operations.

Their operations range from denying adversarial access to key terrain and enemy movement to destruction of adversarial forces in proximity to airbases in order to decrease an enemy's capability and willingness to fight.