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 Capt. Tevin Radford

L2A2-WO1 Beasley (Petroleum Systems Technician) Tunica Air Center

101st Airborne Division (Air Assault)

Aug. 14, 2024 | 1:36

U.S. Army Chief Warrant Officer 1 Steven Beasley, 923A (Petroleum Systems Technician) of the 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) interview during a Large-Scale Long-Range Air Assault and forward arming and refueling point (FARP) operations on Aug. 14, 2024, at Tunica Air Center, Mississippi.

The 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) conducts a large-scale, long-range (L2A2) Air Assault in support of 2nd Mobile Brigade Combat Team “STRIKE”, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) Joint Readiness Training Center (JRTC) 24-10 rotation at Fort Johnson, La. Large-scale, long-range Air Assault (L2A2) allows the 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) to rapidly concentrate highly lethal, low-signature, and cohesive combat forces from dispersed locations to overwhelm adversaries at a place and time of our choosing. L2A2 means delivering one brigade combat team over 500 nautical miles in one period of darkness, arriving as a cohesive element where the enemy least expects it, capable of fighting behind enemy lines for 14 or more days.