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 Daisuke Sato

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Zama Pulse 09.30

U.S. Army Garrison - Japan

Oct. 5, 2020 | 7:30

Zama Pulse 20.09.25

Anchor: Hello, and welcome to the another episode of the “Zama Pulse,” the show that brings you news highlights and important Camp Zama community updates. I’m Sgt. Raquel Birk.
The Health Protection Condition status for COVID-19 was recently changed from Charlie to Bravo Plus, and with that change comes some updates to the standing General Order No. 1:
• The size of physical training formations allowed has increased. Previously, team-size formations were allowed. That has now increased to squad-size formations.
• The 10 p.m. curfew for service members has lifted, and USARJ has reverted to U.S. Forces Japan’s curfew and liberty policy.
• Camp Zama’s Gate 4 will now remain open to pedestrian traffic until its previous time of 1:30 a.m.
• Individuals can now use buses, taxis, hired cars and local trains within the 150-kilometer allowable travel area, except for off-limits areas, including Kawasaki District and the portion of Yokohama east of Highway 16, and parts of Saitama and Chiba prefectures.
If you ride public transportation, please adhere to the following guidelines: Do not take trains or buses between 7 to 9 a.m., and 5 to 7 p.m. on weekdays. When on a train or bus, wear a mask, and avoid talking, eating and drinking. Only board buses or train cars that are at less than 50 percent capacity. And sanitize your hands frequently.
For more information on COVID-related travel restrictions and other related information, visit the USAG Japan Facebook page and continue to follow U.S. Army Japan’s General Order No. 1.

Anchor: Camp Zama’s Family and Morale, Welfare and Recreation has been providing numerous events, activities and services to the U.S. Army Japan community throughout the year, adjusting as needed based on COVID operations. One such service is its airport shuttle and limousine bus services. That service was restricted earlier in the year due to COVID, but has once again expanded and now includes transportation to both Haneda and Narita international airports. We recently spoke with Robert Kemble, chief of the Business and Recreation division at Camp Zama MWR, who explained the expanded shuttle and limousine services.

Interview: Robert Kemble, Chief, Business and Recreation Division, Camp Zama MWR

The new departure times from Camp Zama to the Narita and Haneda international airports are as listed (Insert Graphics), as well as the departure times from Haneda to Camp Zama. For more information on the shuttle and limousine services, or to make a reservation, call 263-4405 or 263-3621, weekdays between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m.

Anchor: The heat and humidity of the summer are finally starting to give way as we begin to transition to autumn. But those cooler temperatures still bring the threat of typhoon season. In the last year alone, 29 typhoons developed off the coast of the Philippines, and six of those made landfall in Japan. It is always important to prepare for typhoons or natural disasters before they hit. More importantly, you need to know what to do when they occur. We recently spoke with Installation Emergency Manager Scot Freeman about typhoon preparation.

Interview: Scot Freeman, Installation Emergency Manager, U.S. Army Garrison Japan

If you’d like to know more about preparing for typhoon season, visit the U.S. Army Garrison Japan Facebook page to view a comprehensive video on the subject.
Anchor: The mayoral election in Zama City, which Camp Zama partly resides in, took place on Sunday, September 20th, along with the municipal assembly election. Mito Sato, a former member of the Zama City assembly, won the mayoral election against the incumbent, Mikio Endo, becoming the first woman mayor of Zama City. Sato will officially begin her four-year term as mayor on October 1st. (Pause) And finally, we’d like to highlight Tadao Ohtani, a supervisory security guard assigned to the Directorate of Emergency Services at U.S. Army Garrison Japan. He recently rendered life-saving aid twice in the same day while at the Hachioji Train Station in Tokyo. He first witnessed a man in front of him fall to the ground. He checked the man for responsiveness and told bystanders to call an ambulance, staying with the man until help arrived. Later in the same day, Ohtani saw a crowd of people gathered around an unconscious man lying on his back. He gave chest compressions to the man until he regained consciousness.

Interview: Tadao Ohtani, Supervisory Security Guard, DES, U.S. Army Garrison Japan
(TRANSLATION) I HAVE TAKEN TRAINING ON CPR AND CHEST COMPRESSIONS MANY TIMES, SO I WAS ABLE TO RESPOND WITHOUT HESITATION. I FELT CONFIDENT IN MY KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS AS A FIRST RESPONDER. I AM GLAD I WAS ABLE TO HELP OUT IN SOME WAY.

Anchor: Ohtani was later presented a letter of appreciation from the Tokyo Fire Department for his actions. We would like to congratulate Mr. Ohtani and thank him for his quick thinking.

Well, that’s it for this month’s edition of the Zama Pulse. I’m Sgt. Raquel Birk, and we’ll see you next month!