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 Jeremy Buddemeier

Sediment Basin Tide Gate Removal

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Savannah District

Feb. 17, 2017 | 1:13

Contractors with De Moya / Continental Joint Venture have completed 32 percent of a Savannah Harbor Expansion Project feature to remove the 1970s-era tide gate structure. Here, workers use a wire cutter to break the structure into smaller pieces. In addition to removing the tide gate structure, contractors will return the Back River to its original width. To accomplish this, excavators and dump trucks collect and position material near the river's edge where a hydraulic cutterhead dredge pumps it across the river into a designated Dredged Material Containment Area. This feature is part of the flow re-routing activities included in the SHEP mitigation plan in order to protect freshwater wetlands and the Savannah National Wildlife Refuge. Construction began in November 2016 and is expected to be completed in December of this year.