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 Lu Maheda

Group of 364 Central Americans Enters Near Ajo

U.S. Customs and Border Protection Office of Public Affairs - Visual Communications Division

April 16, 2019 | 2:04

TUCSON, Ariz. – U.S. Border Patrol agents from the Ajo Station encountered 364 migrants after they illegally entered the country and surrendered to agents west of Lukeville, Arizona this morning.

Camera operators with the Border Patrol spotted the multitude of people after multiple buses arrived south of the international border approximately 14 miles west of the Port of Lukeville. Border Patrol agents watched as the group exited the buses and walked under a vehicle barrier that delineates the international boundary.

The group, consisting of 364 individuals, mostly family units from Central America, was similar to the previous groups that have recently crossed the southwest border. Ajo Border Patrol agents quickly worked to determine if any members of the group needed medical attention, and then began to transport the group for processing. National Park Service employees from the Organ Pipe National Park assisted agents at the site of the crossing. Additional Border Patrol assets from around the Tucson sector were diverted to provide humanitarian, transportation, and processing assistance for the large group.

CBP is facing an alarming trend in in the rising volume of people illegally crossing our Southwest Border. The arriving flow is made up primarily of Central American families and unaccompanied children. This stark and increasing shift to more vulnerable populations, combined with the overwhelming numbers, and inadequate capacity to detain families and children has created a humanitarian and border security crisis. The increase in apprehensions is taxing the entire immigration system, especially the capabilities of ICE and CBP, creating an untenable situation for both CBP personnel and migrants.