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 Marisa Gaona, Desiree Kapler

Port of Long Beach Ship Simulation Study - Branded

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Engineer Research and Development Center

Dec. 17, 2024 | 4:51

The Port of Long Beach, California, is the second busiest port in the United States. It handles more than nine-million 20-foot container units each year with cargo valued at $200 billion. Yet existing channel dimensions and tidal delays pose limitations and inefficiencies for current and future deep draft vessel traffic. To navigate the port complex, these larger vessels must carry a lighter load from their point of origin, which ultimately increases the nation’s transportation costs by requiring more ships to move cargo into and out of the complex.

In 2016, Port of Long Beach officials began to address these constraints and sought federal assistance from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Los Angeles District to conduct a deep draft navigation feasibility study of the port to widen and deepen its navigation channel.

To test its proposed channel design improvements, District project engineers reached out to the U.S. Army’s Watercraft and Ship Simulator, headquartered at the U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center (ERDC) in Vicksburg, Mississippi, to run ship simulations with pilots from the Port of Long Beach.

The feasibility study was completed in 2021 and included in the Water Resources Development Act of 2022. The project is now in the pre-construction engineering design phase, and Los Angeles District project engineers have once again sought out ERDC’s expertise in ship simulation to help verify the navigability and safety of the selected channel design. Watch to learn more.