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 Jamal Sutter

Georgia Air National Guard retires aircraft 3289, first of 16 JSTARS

413th Flight Test Group

Feb. 11, 2022 | 1:30

Reserve Citizen Airmen with the 339th Flight Test Squadron, Georgia Air Guardsmen with the 116th Air Control Wing and active-duty Airmen with the 461st Air Control Wing came together Feb. 11, 2022, to prepare and depart E-8C Joint Surveillance Target Attack Radar System 3289 from Robins Air Force Base, Georgia, as the aircraft is set for retirement. Aircraft 3289 has been in military service since 1996 and will be stored with the 309th Aerospace Maintenance and Regeneration Group at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Arizona. Aircraft 3289 is the first of 16 Joint STARS scheduled to retire out of the Georgia Air National Guard. (U.S. Air Force video by Jamal D. Sutter)