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 Spc. anna murch

Army Reserve medics support Saber Junction 23

354th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment

Sept. 14, 2023 | 6:47

U.S. Army Soldiers from the 1st Battalion, 4th Infantry Regiment, who played the role of oppositional forces during Saber Junction 23, travel through the training area in an M113 Armored Personnel Carrier and conduct operations at the Joint Multinational Readiness Center near Hohenfels, Germany, Sept. 9, 2023. Saber Junction offers the U.S. Army and multinational partners training opportunities to exercise overwhelming combat power and deploy whenever and wherever needed.

In the footage, U.S. Army Reserve medic Spc. Molly Anderson from the 343rd Ground Ambulance Company provides medical support to the OPFOR Soldiers. Medics provide both lifesaving and routine medical care to Soldiers to ensure mission readiness.

Saber Junction 23 is an annual U.S. Army exercise with NATO allies and partners including 4,000 participants from 16 different countries training together from Aug. 28 to Sept. 23, 2023. The primary training audience for the exercise is the 2nd Cavalry Regiment, a U.S. Army Stryker Brigade Combat Team based in Germany. While U.S.-led, this exercise will develop and enhance NATO allies and partners’ interoperability and readiness.

(U.S. Army Reserve video by Spc. Anna Murch)