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 Sgt. Angel Vasquez

USS Oklahoma Honorable Carry

Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency

June 24, 2021 | 1:30

U.S. service members participate in an honorable carry ceremony held on Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii, June 24, 2021. The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) hosted the two honorable carry ceremonies to return the remains and pay tribute to the 429 Sailors and Marines lost aboard the USS Oklahoma during the attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7th, 1941. The remains were returned from the DPAA Laboratory in Offutt Air Force Base, Nebraska to Hawaii as the USS Oklahoma Project nears completion. The honorable carry celebrates the successes of the project, highlighting the joint effort among DPAA, the U.S. Navy, and mission partners, while honoring the Sailors and Marines of the USS Oklahoma. The identification of more than 338 of the 394 Sailors and Marines that were missing in 2003, to date, from the USS Oklahoma represents the first successful completion of a project of such scope and complexity. DPAA’s mission is to achieve the fullest possible accounting for missing and unaccounted-for U.S. personnel to their families and our nation. (U.S. Army video by Sgt. Angel Vasquez)