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. Brian Pearson

Perry’s Victory and International Peace Memorial

46th Military Police Command

June 21, 2020 | 0:31

Perry's Victory and International Peace Memorial is a 352-foot-tall monument and the tallest Doric column in the world. It commemorates the Battle of Lake Erie which took place on September 10, 1813. During the battle, Commodore Oliver Hazard Perry led a fleet to victory in one of the most significant naval battles to occur in the War of 1812. Located on South Bass Island, Ohio, the memorial also celebrates the lasting peace between Britain, Canada, and the United States that followed the war. The monument was constructed by a multi-state commission from 1912 to 1913, but wasn’t fully completed until 1931. Beneath the stone floor of the monument are interred the remains of three American and three British officers who were killed in the Battle of Lake Erie. (U.S. Army video by Spc. Brian Pearson)