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 Staff Sgt. Tamie Norris

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Hanuman Guardian | 16th Combat Aviation Brigade perform aircraft maintenance BROLL

205th Theater Public Affairs Support Element

March 13, 2026 | 3:21

U.S. Army aviation maintainers, from Charlie Company, 1-229 Attack Battalion and Alpha Company, 2-158 Assault Helicopter Battalion, prepare AH-64E Apache helicopters and UH60 Black Hawks for missions during Hanuman Guardian 26, in Lopburi, Thailand, March 14, 2026. Maintainers service and repair the equipment, while readying both the aircraft and crew for critical operations. They are an integral part of the aviation world and vital for movements to be successful.

Hanuman Guardian is a bilateral training exercise between the U.S. Army and the Royal Thai Army in the Kingdom of Thailand. Now in its 17th year, the exercise enhances readiness through realistic training while reinforcing the enduring U.S.–Thailand alliance, one of America’s oldest partnerships, dating back to 1833, and a shared commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific. (U.S. Army Reserve video by Staff Sgt, Tamie Norris)