A lot happens every day. Alliances shift, leaders change, and conflicts erupt. With In Brief, we’ll help you make sense of it all. Each week, experts will dig deep on a single issue happening in the world to help you better understand it.***Last week, leaders of 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 those domains while also better posturing the services to deter and, if necessary, prevail in an era of Great Power Competition.” The changes were comprised of 24 “key decisions” and were grouped into four main categories – develop people, generate readiness, project power, and develop capabilities. We asked three experts to tell us more about these changes and how they could affect the U.S. Air Force and Space Force.Read more below.Jennifer McArdle Senior Director, Futures, CAE USA & Adjunct Senior Fellow, Center for a New American SecurityLast week, the U.S. Air Force and U.S. Space Force announced a significant restructuring of the two services for great power competition. The focus on training and experimentation as part of that change is a step in the right direction. As the services pivot, they should build on some of their previous mission-focused reforms, such as the multi- capable airmen program. Expanding their operational test and training infrastructure under the aegis of this reorganization could allow them to exploit a shared architectural backbone and move more seamlessly between wargames, experiments, and training events — all while better representing future threats. Indeed, while Beijing’s capabilities may not be comparable, in the aggregate, to those of the United States, what matters is the localized correlation of force in certain key regions — something that might not be in America’s favor in the Pacific. All the more reason, therefore, to double down on refining the creativity,
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A lot happens every day. Alliances shift, leaders change, and conflicts erupt. With In Brief, we’ll help you make sense of it all. Each week, experts will dig deep on a single issue happening in the world to help you better understand it.***Last week, leaders of 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 those domains while also better posturing the services to deter and, if necessary, prevail in an era of Great Power Competition.” The changes were comprised of 24 “key decisions” and were grouped into