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 Eric White

Rally in the Valley 2020 Exercise Recap

910th Airlift Wing

Aug. 25, 2020 | 5:20

Five Air Force Reserve units from the 22nd Air Force and a West Virginia Air National Guard unit participated in Rally in the Valley, a multi-day C-130 training exercise under a distributed operations concept, Aug. 22-25, 2020. The exercise included cargo drops, high-altitude paratrooper drops, task force resupply and personnel extraction. Rally in the Valley was scheduled to take place out of Youngstown Air Reserve Station, with participating units flying to the installation as a rally point for the exercise. In order to mitigate risk associated with COVID-19, exercise planners adopted the distributed operations concept, and participating units flew from multiple bases to rally in the air. Participants included the 94th Airlift Wing, Dobbins Air Reserve Base, Georgia; the 908th Airlift Wing, Maxwell Air Force Base, Alabama; the 910th Airlift Wing, Youngstown Air Reserve Station, Ohio; the 913th Airlift Group, Little Rock Air Force Base, Arkansas; the 934th Airlift Wing, Minneapolis-St Paul Air Reserve Station, Minnesota;
and the 130th Airlift Wing, McLaughlin Air National Guard Base, West Virginia with the West Virginia Air National Guard.

Contributors:
130th Airlift Wing Public Affairs:
Master Sgt. Eugene Crist
Master Sgt. De-juan Haley
Staff Sgt. Caleb Vance
Mr. Bo Winston

910th Airlift Wing Public Affairs:
Mr. Eric M. White (video production)
Senior Airman Noah Tancer
Senior Airman Christina Russo
Airman Christopher Corso

913th Airlift Wing Public Affairs:
Senior Airman Nathan Byrnes

908th Airlift Wing Public Affairs:
Senior Airman Shelby Thurman