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 Scott Sturkol

Wisconsin National Guard UH-60 Black Hawk operations at Fort McCoy

Fort McCoy Public Affairs Office

July 27, 2023 | 0:21

Four UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters operated by aircrews with the Wisconsin National Guard are shown heading in to land July 27, 2023, at Sparta-Fort McCoy Airport at Fort McCoy, Wis., as part of training operations at the installation. The UH-60 Black Hawk has been the Army’s front line utility helicopter for the past 40 years, and it shows no signs of letting up, said service officials at Redstone Arsenal, Ala. The helicopter is a regular fixture every year at Fort McCoy, Wis., particularly during major exercises such as the Combat Support Training Exercise. Black Hawk crews with the 1st Battalion, 147th Regiment of the Wisconsin National Guard in Madison, for example, support a wide variety of Guard and Reserve training on the post regularly. Now in its fourth decade of service, the Black Hawk was developed as a result of the Army’s requirement in 1972 for a simple, robust, and reliable utility helicopter system to satisfy projected air-mobile requirements around the globe. (Video by Scott Sturkol, Public Affairs Office, Fort McCoy, Wis.)