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 Sgt. Lesley Cisneros

DPAA Pre-deployment site survey in Vietnam

Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency

April 15, 2025 | 4:04

Team members with the 25-2VN pre deployment site survey team, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency, perform recovery operations in Vietnam, from February to April, 2025. U.S. military and civilian personnel from DPAA work with its in-country detachment, the U.S. Embassy, locals and the Vietnamese Office for Seeking Missing Persons officials to work towards a successful recovery mission. They are supplemented by short-term individual augmentees from the U.S. Air Force 18th Civil Engineer Squadron, which contribute their specialized skill sets to the mission. There are currently 1,573 U.S. personnel missing from the Vietnam War. (U.S. Marine Corps video by Sgt. Lesley B. Cisneros)