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 Brannen Parrish

USACE, Hydropower and the Rural Electrification Act

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Tulsa District

Aug. 23, 2019 | 4:14

Today is National Hydropower Day! The Tulsa District has eight hydroelectric dams in its inventory. Seven of those dams - Keystone, Fort Gibson, Webbers Falls, Tenkiller, Eufaula, Broken Bow, and Robert S. Kerr - are located in Oklahoma. The powerhouse at Denison Dam, which straddles the Red River, is on the Texas bank.

Tulsa District's hydroelectric production is marketed and sold by the Southwestern Power Administration to rural municipalities and electric cooperative in several states.

Jeffrey Miller, power plant manager at Fort Gibson Powerhouse explains how power generated by the Corps of Engineers reaches customers.

Hydroelectric Dams are excellent sources of 'peak power', power generated during the hours of highest electricity usage, because they can be quickly activated to generate electricity for the grid.

We spoke with Chris Meyers, the General Manager and CEO of the OAEC - Oklahoma Association of Electric Cooperatives, about the cost benefit of hydroelectric power for rural Oklahomans. Electric cooperatives operate in all 77 counties in Oklahoma.

The hydroelectric mission of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers was made possible by the Rural Electrification Act, which allowed the federal government to provide low-cost power to rural communities and municipalities. Additional legislation authorized the Corps of Engineers to install hydroelectric generators in flood control structures.

Due to limited investment in rural areas in the decades preceding the REA, small, rural communities trailed far behind large cities in access to electric infrastructure.