Air Force & Space Force Reshape the Future with Sweeping Changes to Maintain Dominance

The United States Air Force and United States Space Force unleashed a comprehensive transformation plan, marking a historic shift in how they operate and project power across air, space, and cyberspace. These changes, the most significant in decades, are a direct response to intensifying competition from China and Russia, ensuring continued American dominance in the face of evolving threats.

“We need mechanisms to ensure these units are in fact ready and address any shortfalls that may be found. We need the right mix of Airmen and Guardians with the skills necessary for high end combat and to ensure technological superiority. We need an efficient and effective pipeline of technologies flowing continuously into more competitive capabilities for our highest priority missions.” - Secretary of the Air Force, Frank Kendall III

Here are several of the two dozen sweeping changes unveiled by leaders of the Air Force & Space Force during the Air & Space Forces Association 's annual Warfare Symposium. These changes, delineated across the four categories depicted in the accompanying graphic above, mark a transformative stride in military strategy and operations.

Developing People:

• Investing in Next-Gen Training: The initiative prioritizes cutting-edge training programs to equip Guardians and Airmen with the skills and knowledge needed to excel in the complex and dynamic environments of the future. "This is our time of consequence. What we do, the decisions we make, the actions we take, the Airmen we lead, and the way we do it, will define that next seminal event" emphasized General Dave Allvin , Air Force Chief of Staff.
• Specializing the Force: In recognition of the increasingly complex and specialized nature of modern warfare, the services are revamping career paths to offer #Guardians and #Airmen dedicated tracks focusing on critical areas like cyber, space operations, and advanced technology. This shift towards greater specialization aims to cultivate a deeply skilled and adaptable workforce equipped to seamlessly operate across the air, space, and cyberspace domains. While specific details regarding the structure and implementation of these tracks are still emerging, the overall intent is to foster a diverse and specialized force aligned with the demands of future conflicts.

Generating Readiness:

• Combat Wings for Agile Deployment: The "Combat Wings" model aims to enhance operational effectiveness and responsiveness through streamlined deployments. This model packages diverse assets, including personnel, equipment, and support functions, under unified leadership. This consolidation allows for quicker and more tailored deployments, enabling the force to adapt to rapidly evolving situations and respond efficiently to emerging threats. While the specific composition and capabilities of each Combat Wing will vary based on mission requirements, this new approach represents a significant shift towards agility and adaptability in deployment operations.
• Integrated Capabilities Command: The Integrated Capabilities Command (ICC) is a new entity tasked with consolidating and streamlining the process of developing and delivering cutting-edge capabilities to the warfighter. This move aims to address concerns about bureaucratic hurdles and optimize the process from identifying needs to fielding new equipment. The overall goal is to accelerate the delivery of essential technologies and systems needed by the forces to effectively address future threats.

"Our current paradigm in how we deploy forces often is that we will take one of the mission elements—a fighter squadron or a bomber squadron or a tanker squadron, or what have you, and we’ll take the rest of the forces and sort of crowdsource it from amongst our Air Force, and they will meet in theater...That does not work against the pacing challenge. We need to ensure that our combat wings are coherent units of action that have everything they need to be able to execute their wartime tasks.” - Air Force Chief of Staff, General Dave Allvin ?

Projecting Power:

• Space Futures Command: A dedicated command spearheads the development of next-generation space capabilities, ensuring American dominance in this critical domain. General Chance Saltzman , Chief of Space Operations, quoted one of our nation's space pioneers, Major General Bernard Schriever: “The compelling motive for the development of space technology is the requirement for national defense... In the long haul, our safety as a nation may depend upon our achieving space superiority.” How prescient General Schriever's statement was.
• Dedicated Space Force Combat Units: The Space Force announced the formalization of established Space Force combat units. This move solidifies the critical role these units play in space operations, guaranteeing a dedicated and specialized force charged with protecting and utilizing vital space assets. This transformation signals a heightened focus on leveraging space capabilities in response to evolving threats and strategic competition.

"The drive and determination among Space Force guardians will continue to define the nation's newest military service as it meets the demands of the future, the chief of space operations said today." - Chief of Space Operations, General Chance Saltzman

Developing Capabilities:

• Reinvigorating Cyber Expertise: The elevation of #AFCYBER to a Direct Reporting Unit (DRU) marks a pivotal recognition of the indispensable role of cyberspace operations in contemporary warfare. This advancement underscores the imperative for specialized leadership and concentrated efforts within this domain, thereby enhancing AFCYBER's capacity to effectively bolster combatant commands. Moreover, this transition is poised to facilitate smoother coordination between U.S. Cyber Command and Air Force cyber units, empowering the organization to take greater ownership of its training and resource management.
• Warrant Officer Program Returns: A transformative initiative reintroduces #WarrantOfficers in IT and Cyber fields, leveraging their technical expertise and experience to maintain a competitive edge.

"We know there are people who want to serve. They just want to code for their country. They would like to be network attack people and do that business, but everybody needs to see themselves into the future beyond just this assignment or the next...There's something specific about this career field, why it's attractive and it's a nice match for a warrant officer program. The pace of change of the cyber world, the coding world, the software world — it is so rapidly advancing, we need those Airmen to be on the cutting edge and stay on the cutting edge." - Air Force Chief of Staff, General Dave Allvin

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