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

Coverage of Mass of Christian Burial Graveside Service for Sgt. Jack Hohlfeld in La Crosse, Wis. — home after 82 years

Fort McCoy Public Affairs Office

Aug. 26, 2024 | 0:45

This is b-roll footage from Aug. 26, 2024, of the Mass of Christian Burial graveside service for Sgt. Jack Hohlfeld in Onalaska and La Crosse, Wis. hundreds of people attended a special Mass for Hohlfeld at St. Patrick Parish in Onalaska and the graveside service. Hohlfeld was born in Hamburg Township in Vernon County just outside Stoddard, Wis. When he was 13 years old, his family moved to Centerville, just north of Holmen. As a young adult, Jack lived for a brief time in both Trempealeau and La Crosse before moving to California. He volunteered to enlist and was sworn into the Army at Fort MacArther, Calif., in 1938. Hohlfeld was assigned to the Philippines as a member of Headquarters Squadron, 24th Pursuit Group, U.S. Army Air Corps. When the Japanese began their attack on the Philippines on Dec. 8, 1941, the 24th Pursuit Group rapidly became combat ineffective. Its soldiers were rushed to the Bataan Peninsula where Hohlfeld fought as an infantryman, eventually becoming a POW upon its surrender. Hohlfeld survived the Bataan Death March and entered the infamous Cabanatuan Japanese POW camp. On Dec. 26, 1942, Hohlfeld died and was placed into Common Grave 811 with five other service members who passed in that 24-hour period. It wasn't until recently he was fully identified from that gravesite and brought back to Wisconsin. (U.S. Army Video by Scott T. Sturkol, Public Affairs Office, Fort McCoy, Wis.)