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 Paul Shirk

B-52H bomber makes its way slowly to Oklahoma City, ready to fulfill mission

72nd Air Base Wing

Jan. 25, 2022 | 0:55

Time lapse footage shows the arrival of a B-52H Stratofortress aircraft fuselage, tail number 61-0009, to its new home at the Boeing facility near Tinker Air Force Base, Oklahoma, Jan. 25, 2022. The fuselage and left wing of "Damage Inc. II" will serve as an integration model to test how well new technologies and current and future modifications will integrate with B-52 aircraft. The B-52 is undergoing its biggest modernization effort in its history. In addition to new engines, the B-52 is also upgrading its 1960’s core radar to a new Active Electronically Scanned Array system similar to those found in modern fighter aircraft. (Air Force video by Paul Shirk)